Agartala: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has searched 13 locations in Tripura, West Bengal and Maharashtra in connection with an alleged Rs 14.55-crore fraudulent govt tender scheme issued in the name of a non-existent organisation, the directorate of higher education. The residence of suspended IAS officer Abhishek Chandra was among the locations searched on Wednesday.The operation was executed by the ED’s Agartala sub-zonal office under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, as part of an investigation into an alleged money-laundering network. The probe was initiated based on an FIR filed at the Capital Complex police station in West Tripura.According to the ED, the case followed a complaint by Nagpur-based M/s SK Sales Corporation, which alleged that it had been defrauded of around Rs 14.55 crore in connection with govt tenders for the mid-day meal programme and the power sector.The alleged fraud took place between Sept 2024 and Feb 2025. During this period, the complainant was allegedly convinced to deposit Earnest Money Deposits (EMDs) for tenders that, according to the investigation, had not been issued by the Tripura govt.The ED said its investigation had found that Chandra, currently suspended from his duties as an IAS officer in Tripura, allegedly projected himself as an authority managing govt tender processes. He is also alleged to have introduced the complainant to Utpal Kumar Chowdhury, who was presented as the person responsible for handling payments.The investigation revealed that Chowdhury allegedly operated an organisation under a name similar to that of a govt department.According to the ED, funds deposited into the bank accounts of the fake entity were quickly transferred through several shell companies, with some transactions taking place on the same day.The agency has also linked the suspected illicit earnings to the purchase of real estate, including apartments in a housing project and a residence in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park area. The properties were purchased in the names of Chandra’s family members.Investigators also suspect that part of the funds was spent on international travel and luxury goods, while another portion was routed through a suspected hawala operator based in Kolkata.
