The Enforcement Directorate has expanded its investigation into the Merlin Group money laundering case, conducting fresh searches in Kolkata and North 24 Parganas, focusing on alleged financial links to politicians and officials.
The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted fresh searches against some entities being probed in connection with the money laundering case against Kolkata-based real estate company Merlin Group and some others, officials said.
The action in the poll-bound state is the follow-up of the raids conducted by the agency on April 8 against the Group (Merlin Projects Limited) and its promoters, Sushil Mohta and Saket Mohta.
Around five premises in Kolkata and the North 24 Parganas district of certain entities involved in the case are being searched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Friday, they said.
A Merlin Group spokesperson said in a statement that none of its premises was raided by the ED on Friday.
"Merlin Group is a law-abiding corporate organisation and remains fully committed to conducting its operations in strict compliance with all applicable laws. We continue to extend our full cooperation to the authorities," the statement said.
ED officials had said the agency is investigating alleged financial links between the company and some politicians and officials of the West Bengal government as part of this probe.
The promoters and the company are under the ED scanner on charges of fabricating a "false" chain of title using "forged" documents, leading to land-grabbing allegations.
The agency alleged that the accused commercially "exploited" the purportedly grabbed land by launching "large-scale" real estate projects.
By projecting themselves as lawful owners using "forged" documents, the accused induced the public to invest "substantial" sums in their real estate projects, the agency alleged.
The company stated that its project under scrutiny -- Merlin Niyasa -- was developed under a "valid and lawful" agreement, and various judicial forums, up to the Supreme Court, have adjudicated the project's title in favour of the current landowners.
West Bengal will have two-phase polls on April 23 and April 29.