I-PAC chief Pratik Jain's family accuses ED of theft during raid

The family of Pratik Jain, chief of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), on Thursday filed a police complaint against the Enforcement Directorate (ED), alleging that important documents were stolen during a search at his residence in south Kolkata, officials said.

According to the police, Jain’s wife lodged the complaint at Shakespeare Sarani police station shortly after ED officials завершed a raid at the family’s Loudon Street home.

“We have received a formal allegation of theft against the ED. It is alleged that essential documents were taken from the residence during the search. The matter is being investigated and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings,” a police officer told PTI.

The ED, meanwhile, said the searches were conducted as part of a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged multi-crore coal pilferage scam.

An official of the probe agency said the operation at Jain’s residence began around 6 am and continued for more than nine hours, with officials leaving the premises around 3 pm.

In addition to Jain’s home, the ED also carried out searches at the I-PAC office in Salt Lake, Kolkata, and at several other locations, including four premises in Delhi, in the presence of central paramilitary forces, official sources said.

The federal agency is examining financial transactions and digital records in connection with the alleged scam. Apart from providing political consultancy services to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), I-PAC is also involved in managing the party’s IT and media operations.

The raids drew sharp political reactions, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arriving first at Jain’s residence and later at the I-PAC office in Salt Lake while the searches were still underway.

Banerjee alleged that the ED was attempting to seize the ruling party’s internal documents, hard disks and sensitive organisational data, including material linked to its election strategy.

Calling the searches “politically motivated and unconstitutional”, the chief minister accused the central agency of overstepping its mandate and trying to access information unrelated to any financial investigation.

“Is it the duty of the ED to collect political party data?” Banerjee had asked reporters earlier in the day.

The ED has not yet issued a detailed public statement on the allegation of theft made by Jain’s family. Officials said the agency would respond after examining the contents of the police complaint.

The development comes ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections, due in the first half of this year, adding a political edge to the ongoing probe.

Police said they are recording statements and verifying the claims made in the complaint, while the ED’s investigation into the alleged coal pilferage-linked money laundering case continues.