Kolkata, (Samajweekly) Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths have initiated action against two other corporate entities linked to the suspended Trinamool Congress leader, Sheikh Shahjahan in a money-laundering case.
Sources said that these two corporate entities are Mesars Magnum and Mesars Arup Som.
ED officials, sources added, have identified the bank accounts linked to these two corporate entities and have directed the bank authorities concerned to immediately stop the facilities of all inward and outward transactions in those accounts.
So with these two a total of three corporate entities linked to Shahjahan, also the accused mastermind behind the attack of ED and CAPF personnel at Sandeshkhali on January 5, have come under the scanner of the central agency.
Earlier the ED sleuths directed the bank authorities concerned to immediately freeze the bank account linked to the fish exports entity Mesars Sheikh Sabina Fish Supply Only, which is registered in the name of Shahjahan’s daughter Sheikh Sabina.
The central agency sleuths have also initiated the freezing of the personal bank account of Sheikh Shahjahan.
These actions by ED, sources added, have been initiated following definite clues that these accounts were used as shell companies meant for diverting ill-gotten proceeds in different money laundering cases, especially the ration distribution case.
In fact, in all the money laundering cases being investigated by the ED in West Bengal, it has been noticed that such shell companies played a very important role in the fund diversion process.
The ED has filed two separate enforcement case information reports (ECIR) against Shahjahan. The first ECIR is related to his involvement in the ration distribution and the second is related to using his fish exports business for money laundering.