The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen three bank accounts belonging to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), holding deposits worth Rs 440.42 crore, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This move follows search operations conducted at five premises in and around Kolkata in an alleged funds misappropriation case.
The ED conducted the searches at premises belonging to the Carewell group of companies, which operates in the aviation sector. During the searches, the ED found and froze balances amounting to Rs 440.42 crore lying in three HDFC Bank accounts of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) under Section 17(1-A) of the PMLA.
The searches were conducted in connection with a PMLA investigation based on an FIR lodged by the Cyber Police, Bidhannagar, West Bengal. The FIR involves alleged dishonest financial dealings, unlawful collection of money, and routing of suspected funds through certain bank accounts of the AITC.
According to the ED, its probe has revealed that around Rs 160 crore was transferred from AITC bank accounts to M/s Carewell Aviation India Pvt. Ltd. and its related entity between April 2023 and June 2026. The ED also found that M/s Carewell Aviation India Pvt. Ltd. routed Rs 82.96 crore during 2023-2026 to purchase an Embraer Legacy 600 aircraft and an Agusta 109 GrandNew helicopter.
A total of Rs 112 crore was used for these purchases, and USD 1.7 million was arranged as an unsecured loan in 2023 from a Cayman Islands-based entity to purchase the helicopter. The ED is investigating these transactions to ascertain their actual beneficial purpose, as they appear to be dubious arrangements.
