The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet in the West Bengal illegal sand mining case, naming 14 companies and four individuals, including businessman Arun Saraf. The agency alleges money laundering of Rs 78 crore and illegal transactions worth Rs 145 crore. Saraf's company, GD Mining, is primarily implicated in the smuggling activities.
In the West Bengal illegal sand mining case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a detailed chargesheet naming 14 companies and four individuals. These include businessman Arun Saraf and three of his employees. According to the agency, preliminary investigations reveal illegal sand smuggling worth nearly Rs 145 crore, with Saraf's GD Mining playing a central role.
The timeline began with ED raids in September at Jhargram and Behala in Kolkata. Saraf was arrested in the first week of November, specifically on November 6. In December, the agency conducted searches at 12 locations across West Bengal, including Park Street, New Alipore, and Amherst Street in Kolkata. The chargesheet is accompanied by 4,700 pages of documents.
An ED official stated, "During the 2024–25 financial year, Rs 130 crore was deposited into the company’s bank account, while Rs 103 crore was deposited from sand sales alone." Saraf is accused of laundering Rs 78 crore earned from the illegal activities. The ED alleges that he committed "every possible form of fraud" by flouting rules of the West Bengal Sand (Mining, Transport, Storage and Sale) Development Corporation Limited (WBMDTCL).
Methods of smuggling involved using the same registration number on multiple trucks meant for authorized sand extraction, often going unnoticed. Permission slips featured forged QR codes. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Monday. This scam highlights irregularities in the state's mining regulations.
