ED raids TMC MP Nadimul Haque and sites tied to Urdu newspaper in money laundering probe

The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at Trinamool MP Nadimul Haque's residence and other locations. These searches are part of a money laundering investigation concerning the Urdu newspaper Akhbar-E-Mashriq. The agency is examining financial dealings and alleged illegal transactions related to the publication. Documentary and digital evidence is being collected under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Further details on recovered evidence and the agency's next steps are awaited.

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted searches at the residence of Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Nadimul Haque among seven locations across Delhi, West Bengal and Jharkhand in connection with an alleged money laundering case against him and an Urdu newspaper, Akhbar-E-Mashriq, accused of promoting communal disharmony and engaging in illegal transactions of funds from suspicious sources.ED's Kolkata zonal office team is conducting searches at these seven premises in West Bengal's Kolkata, Delhi and Jharkhand's Ranchi in the money laundering case against Akhbar-E-Mashriq Pvt Ltd, an Urdu daily newspaper, and its director Mohd Nadimul Haque.Also read: ED moves to seek Cayman data in TMC fund probeThe search operation was launched early on Monday based on certain inputs covering the premises of the TMC MP, the office of the newspaper, among other places, in close coordination with security forces and state police forces concerned. The raids are continuing at these locations.Officials said an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) was recorded by the ED on the basis of First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate in West Bengal.Officials said the case relates to "allegations concerning publication and dissemination of material promoting communal disharmony and also contains allegations regarding illegal transactions, unaccounted cash transactions and funding from suspicious sources."The ED action is part of its probe to trace the alleged proceeds of crime and establish the financial trail linked to the transactions under investigation.The agency is conducting the searches to gather documentary and digital evidence and examine the financial dealings of the entities and individuals named in the case.Further details regarding the evidence recovered during the searches and the next course of action are awaited. The investigation is being conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).The ED's searches come as part of its wider efforts to investigate cases where alleged proceeds of crime are suspected to have been generated or routed through financial transactions involving individuals or entities under investigation.