Kolkata, August 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said it had searched 15 premises in and around Kolkata linked to former Trinamool Congress legislator and former Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation mayor Sabyasachi Dutta and his associates in an alleged extortion case.
The ED’s Kolkata Zonal Office said the searches resulted in the seizure of Rs 40.50 lakh in cash and foreign currency worth $17,200. The agency also froze bank and demat accounts containing more than Rs 13 crore.
According to an ED statement, the searches covered Dutta’s residence, offices of entities associated with him and the residential and business premises of people linked to him and his companies. One of the premises searched on July 31 was located in Gurugram, Haryana.
The agency said 150 bank and demat accounts linked to Dutta and his associates, with a combined balance of at least Rs 13.9 crore as of August 9, were frozen during the operation.
Investigators also seized documents, including ledgers and digital devices, which allegedly contained information on the utilisation of proceeds of crime generated through extortion and other illegal activities.
The ED alleged that these proceeds were channelled into movable and immovable assets through a network of shell companies. The agency identified Precision Buildcom Pvt Ltd, Softline Media Network Pvt Ltd and Avam Realty Private Limited among the companies allegedly used for routing the funds.
The ED began its investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, after registering an Enforcement Case Information Report on June 23 on the basis of an FIR lodged by Bidhannagar Police Station (North).
The FIR allegedly accused Dutta and his associates of operating an extortion network by misusing political influence. The ED said the group allegedly used intimidation, assault and criminal conspiracy to extort money from local businessmen and subsequently converted part of the proceeds into gold, fixed deposits, mutual funds and immovable properties.
The searches were also linked to the reported recovery of 3.5 kg of gold from Dutta’s residence and a bank locker registered in his name. Police had also recovered gold purchase receipts with a stated value of Rs 76 crore, according to the information available in the case.
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