ED investigates properties linked to former Edu minister’s relative in 2 Dooars tea gardens
Jalpaiguri: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out raids on Friday at two tea gardens in the Dooars region as part of its probe into alleged money laundering involving Prasanna Roy, a relative of former Education minister Partha Chatterjee.
Two teams of six ED officials each searched Samsing Tea Garden in Meteli and Bamandanga Tandu Tea Garden in Nagrakata. The investigation started from 8 am and continued till 7 pm, during which officials collected documents, financial records and photographs.
The probe focuses on suspected black money linked to Partha Chatterjee that was allegedly invested in the tea gardens through Prasanna Roy. Workers at both estates gathered outside garden offices, watching the investigation with concern.
Chatterjee was arrested in July 2022 over the teacher recruitment scam, followed by Prasanna Roy’s arrest two months later on related charges. Roy had taken over management of both gardens in 2020. After his arrest, operational control passed to his relative Bijoy Roy. Due to difficulties, both gardens eventually shut down. Since 2023, they have been under the management of new owner Rittik Bhattacharya.
Samsing Tea Garden employs about 850 workers, while Bamandanga Tandu has around 1,000. Workers recalled that under Roy’s management, operations were smoother, but changes followed after his arrest and the arrival of new ownership.
Sources say the ED has gathered key information from Roy, focusing on funds used to run the gardens and whether these came from Chatterjee’s alleged black money. The investigation also examines how funds were routed via Bijoy Roy after Roy’s arrest.
Rittik Bhattacharya, the current owner, acknowledged the disruption caused by the prolonged ED inquiry. “The ED’s focus was on gathering information about the former director, Prasanna Roy. The extended investigation hours from morning to evening have resulted in financial losses amounting to several lakhs and disrupted day-to-day operations.”
Meanwhile, Roshan Pradeep Deshmukh, SDPO of Mal Subdivision, confirmed awareness of the ED’s activities but noted, “The ED did not officially notify the police about their inspection.”
