ED Arrests I-PAC Director Vinesh Chandel In Coal Scam Case Days Before Bengal Polls

Kolkata: Days before the state goes to poll, the Enforcement Directorate has arrested I-PAC Director Vinesh Chandel in connection with a money-laundering probe linked to an alleged coal scam in West Bengal. Chandel was taken into custody in the national capital under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

I-PAC is the official political consultant of the ruling Trinamool Congress party in West Bengal. The arrest comes in the backdrop of the BJP, using all its political might, to come to power in the state, which faces challenges like a prolonged period of anti-incumbency and alleged corruption.

The Large-Scale Raids

The ED had earlier carried out multiple searches in April including Chandel's premises in Delhi, I-PAC co-founder Rishi Raj Singh's place in Bengaluru, as well as former Aam Aadmi Party communications in-charge Vijay Nair in Mumbai.

Earlier in January, the ED's recent raids targeting the West Bengal office of I-PAC, as well as the Kolkata residence of its founder Pratik Jain, triggered a sharp political confrontation with TMC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reaching the IPAC premises along with senior state officials, and leaving with electronic evidence like phones and laptops.

The TMC had then accused the BJP of misusing central agencies to disrupt its election strategy, labelling the raids as a “desperate attempt” to influence the party's political campaign. 

West Bengal will be polling in two phases, on April 23, 2026 and April 29, 2026.

Coal Scam Under Scrutiny

The ED’s investigation stems from a CBI FIR registered in November 2020, which flagged a large-scale coal racket tied to mines operated by Eastern Coalfields Limited in the Kunustoria and Kajora belts near Asansol.

The probe agency stated that the money generated through the illegal coal trade was channelled via hawala networks. Investigators claimed that an operator linked to this network routed substantial funds to Indian PAC Consulting Pvt Ltd, I-PAC's parent entity, thereby placing it under the agency's scanner.

Earlier, the ED said that around Rs 20 crore, which may have been proceeds of the alleged scam, may have been funnelled into the firm. Reports also claim that a Mumbai-based angadiya network may have been involved in the case, including the Delhi liquor policy case.

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