CBI raids multiple locations of Bengal law minister

Kolkata, Sep 7 (IANS) The  Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday was conducting raids and search operation at multiple residences of West Bengal Law Minister Malaya Ghatak at Kolkata and Asansol in connection with the multi- crore coal smuggling scam.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is conducting a parallel investigation in the multi-crore coal scam, had summoned Ghatak several times for questioning in the coal scam. However, Ghatak, an elected Trinamool Congress legislator from Asansol (North), considered as one of the hotbeds of coal smuggling, ducked all these summons except once.

On Wednesday morning, separate teams of CBI, escorted by the central armed forces personnel, raided four residences of Ghatak, three at Asansol and two at Kolkata. 

Ghatak's Kolkata residence is in a residential complex adjacent to the Governor House in central Kolkata, which is exclusively reserved for the ministers of the state government.

Apart from that a fifth team of the CBI was conducting raid and search operations at the residence of Ghatak's chartered accountant, Pratik Diwan at a residential complex christened Shyam Vatika at Alipore in South Kolkata. CBI sources said that the Diwan family is traditionally involved in garments trading business, while Pratik Diwan is a practicing chartered accountant.

Another team of CBI was conducting parallel raid and search operations at Ghatak's residence at Lake Gardens in South Kolkata, which houses the minister's son and daughter-in-law.

In July this year, Ghatak was summoned by the ED at the central agency's headquarter at New Delhi. However, he ducked that summon. He is supposed to appear at ED's New Delhi office again on September 14.