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News Desk: Two foreign bank accounts of Rujira Banerjee, wife of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, are under probe in connection with an alleged coal smuggling case, according to sources.
The central investigative agencies probing the West Bengal coal smuggling scam have come across transactions worth over Rs 1,300 crore, which they believe was generated in just few months through smuggling of coal.
Over 50 percent of the illegal money generated in the alleged coal smuggling scam was given to Vinay Mishra, an alleged close associate of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee.
The agencies have also come across transactions which took place in foreign bank accounts of Abhishek Banerjee’s wife Rujira Banerjee.
The agencies reportedly unearthed the details of transactions while conducting searches at the official and residential premises of an associate of accused Anup Majee.
Anup Majee is the prime accused and kingpin of coal smuggling racket who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate. He allegedly generated Rs 1,352 crore between July 2018 and March 2020.
Vinay Mishra, a TMC youth leader and alleged associate of Abhishek Banerjee, who is believed to be hiding in a foreign country, was allegedly given over Rs 731 crore by Anup Majhee. Rs 218 crore was given in 2018-2019 and Rs 513 crore was given in year 2019-2020.
The ED officials suspect that the money generated through illegal coal smuggling was received by Vinay Mishra on behalf of “some influential persons.”
Ashok Kumar Mishra, former officer-in-charge of West Bengal’s Bankura Police Station, was also allegedly given over Rs 168 crore between June 2020 and September 2020.
Ashok Mishra allegedly used official vehicles of his police station to deliver cash meant for some influential people.
Top sources in the investigative agencies claimed that 1.5 million Baht (currency of Thailand) was deposited in Thailand bank account of Abhishek Banerjee’s wife Rujira Banerjee in November -December 2018, allegedly on directions of Ashok Kumar Mishra.
Another transaction in Rujira’s London-located Barclays Bank account is under scanner of ED.
