Following FIRs by the West Bengal Police on fraudulent paddy procurement and unlawful possession of PDS rations, the ED probed the PDS Scam. Recent raids on FFMCs in West Bengal revealed financial irregularities, leading to the arrest of Sankar Addhya. Addhya’s involvement sheds light on the complex network behind the illicit PDS activities.
Investigations revealed that these individuals invested in purchasing numerous real estate properties laundered the proceeds of crime through various corporate identities, and transferred a portion of the POC to entities controlled by Jyoti Priya Mallick.
On January 5, 2024, searches were conducted at multiple Full Fledged Money Changers (FFMC) businesses and related individuals as part of a follow-up investigation. During the search, pertinent evidence was found. The scale of the scam is vast, according to the investigation conducted so far. It is believed that one suspected individual facilitated the receipt, transfer, and layering of proceeds of crime totalling at least Rs. 9,000–10,000 crore, of which Rs. 2,000 crore were suspected to be transferred to Dubai either directly or through Bangladesh.
In connection with this, Sankar Addhya of Bongaon, who owns and manages numerous FFMC enterprises, was arrested on January 5, 2024, and presented before Kolkata’s Ld. Special PMLA Court. The court granted him 14 days of ED Custody
Additionally, on the same day, ED teams were attacked during a search at the home and office of Sahajahan Shekh, Convenor of TMC Sandesh Khali, and North 24 Parganas. As a result, a complaint was filed with the jurisdictional Police for the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) for offences under Sections 307, 333, 326, 353, 392, 395, 397, 149, 148, 186, 189, 426, 435, 440, 341 & 342 r/w Sections 120B, 109, and 115 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. For the following offences: 47, 148, 149, 341, 186, 353, 323, 427, 379, 504, 34 [mostly bailable and non-scheduled offences], police filed FIR no. 09 of 2024 at Nazat P.S. This Directorate has not received a copy of the FIR.
A similar incident happened on January 5, 2024. During a search at Sankar Addhya’s home in Simultala Bongaon, North 24 Paraganas, an identical occurrence occurred once more involving the ED team. The crowd intimidated and attacked every member of the ED team as well as CRPF officers, preventing the ED officials from carrying out their official duties at approximately 11:30 p.m.
In this instance, Bongaon police were notified by email at 8:46 AM, and at 4:00 PM, SP Bongaon was contacted on a mobile device to request that enough security be provided for the ED team. In spite of this request, the crowd was permitted to congregate close to the search area, whereupon they attacked the ED team at about 11:30 PM and threw stones.
Although there were no visible physical injuries to any ED officers, the crowd did damage the search team’s vehicle. The relevant Police authorities have received an official complaint. A copy of the FIR is also awaited in this matter.
