Coal scam crackdown deepens as ED grills ECL officers, tracks mafia-administration nexus

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its probe into the multi-crore coal smuggling case by summoning several senior officials of Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) for questioning. Acting on fresh leads, the central agency has called the officers to its CGO Complex office, where detailed interrogations are currently underway to uncover the alleged nexus between coal mafias and administrative authorities.

According to sources, multiple ECL officials began arriving at the ED office from Thursday morning. They are being questioned in closed-door sessions, with investigators focusing on how illegal coal extraction and smuggling operations continued despite regulatory oversight. The probe aims to identify officials who may have facilitated or turned a blind eye to such activities.

The ED is also examining financial transactions linked to the case, particularly payments allegedly made to officials in exchange for protection and logistical support to the smuggling network. Officials are being confronted with documentary and digital evidence already seized during earlier raids, as the agency attempts to establish a clear chain of accountability within the system.

The development follows recent action by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which arrested Naresh Kumar Saha, then General Manager of ECL’s Kajora area, indicating administrative involvement in the racket. Investigative agencies believe that such large-scale operations could not have been sustained without a well-coordinated network. Further arrests are likely as the probe progresses and more links emerge.