Bengal ration distribution case: Four more corporate entities under ED scanner

Four new companies have come under the scanner of Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the multi- crore ration distribution case in West Bengal, said sources. These four companies areHermes Voyages Private Limited, Mayapur Merchandise Private Limited, Premier Sports Tourism Private Limited and Anand Trade Consultant Private Limited.

As per the records of the Registrar of Companies (RoC), arrested West Bengal Minister Jyotipriya Mallick's former personal assistant Avijit Das and thelatter's wife Sukanya Das are directors in all the companies.

According to the RoC records, the registered offices are Hermes Voyages, Mayapur Merchandise and Premier Sports Tourism are the same at Diamond Heritage Building, 16 Strand Road 8th Floor, Room No. 810C , Kolkata - 700001. However, the registered office of Anand Trade Consultant is different at 6/2, Bhagaban Chatterjee Lane,Bantra Howrah - 711101

Sources said the EDsleuths doubt that these four corporate entities are actually shell companies meant for division of the ill-gotten proceeds in the ration distribution case.

With these four entities, the total number of shell entities coming under the scanner of the central agency sleuths rises to ten. First the ED sleuths tracked the existence of three such entities, namely Shree Hanuman Realcon Private Limited, Gracious Innovative Private Limited and Gracious Creation Private Limited.

As per the records of the Registrar of Companies (ROC), while the current status of Shree Hanuman Realcon is dissolved, the status of the other two entities is shown as "under liquidation".

The ED sleuths noticed that the outward remittances in hefty amounts happened within hours or even minutes after the inwards remittances, clearly hinting towards the fact that these companies were floated for the sole purpose of fund diversion.

The probe agency sleuths strongly believed that these corporate entities were floated and kept active for a limited period just to divert the proceeds of the ration distribution case through these entities.

Next, the ED sleuths identified two other corporate entitiesAJAgrotech andAJRoyal, both based out of Bankura districts, in West Bengal, where from the investigating officials recently seized an unaccounted cash of Rs 16.80 crore.

The tenth company that has surfaced during the investigation is that of apackaged flour production and marketing entity Ankit India Limited, where the ED sleuths recently recovered Rs 1.40 crore of unaccounted cash

Ankit India Limited connects the ration distributioncase in West Bengal withill-famous Bihar fodder scam.

One of the directors of the said corporate entity, namely Dipesh Chandak was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 1996 in connection with the fodder scam in Bihar. However, he turned approver at a laterstage and also got released.