DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Vinesh Chandel, co-founder and director of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), over allegations of his involvement in a money laundering scheme connected to a coal scam in West Bengal. Authorities took Chandel into custody on Monday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as the investigation continues to unfold.

I-PAC has played a significant role in assisting the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the West Bengal government since 2021. The ED's recent actions come after a series of raids conducted at multiple locations, including Chandel's residence in Delhi and the properties of fellow I-PAC co-founder Rishi Raj Singh and former Aam Aadmi Party communications chief Vijay Nair in Mumbai. In the wake of these developments, the TMC has criticized the ED's actions as a politically motivated attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to sabotage their upcoming election campaigns.

The ongoing investigation stems from a FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in November 2020, alleging significant corruption surrounding coal pilferage in West Bengal's Eastern Coalfields Limited mines. According to the ED, a "hawala" operator linked to this network facilitated transactions amounting to tens of crores to I-PAC. The agency claims that nearly Rs 20 crore, generated through these alleged coal thefts, was funneled to I-PAC. The funding was allegedly processed through a Mumbai-based firm implicated in the agency’s investigation of another high-profile case involving the Delhi liquor scandal.

As West Bengal gears up for assembly elections on April 23 and April 29, the ramifications of this arrest are likely to be profound, potentially altering the political landscape in a state where tensions between rival parties are already mounting.