Delhi court sends TMC leader's brother to 6-day ED remand in coal mining scam

By Sushil Batra
New Delhi [India], March 16 : A Delhi Court on Tuesday sent Vikas Mishra, brother of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Vinay Mishra, to six days Enforcement Directorate remand in connection with coal mining scam.
Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Judge Ajay Gulati said that "custodial interrogation of the accused Vikas Mishra is necessary to unearth the conspiracy, to trace the proceeds of crime and to confront the accused with other witnesses, documents, evidence".
"In these circumstances, accused Vikas Mishra is remanded to six days police custody from today. The ED shall get the medical examination of the accused conducted every 24 hours during the period he remains in their custody. If the medical examination so reveals, the food of the accused shall be as per medical advice. Accused be produced before the concerned court on March 22," he said.
Public Prosecutor Advocate NK Matta, who represented ED, sought remand of Mishra and submitted that statements of various witnesses were recorded during investigation and incriminating evidence has been collected against the accused.
Mishra's statement has also been recorded during the course of the investigation on February 25 and March 15.
Matta also stated that the accused has not cooperated with the investigation and has failed to disclose relevant facts in his statements.
He said that custodial interrogation of the accused is essential to further determine the role of various other persons who facilitated the offence of money laundering, to determine the entire modus operandi, to confront the accused with the documents/evidence on record with the witnesses and the evidence gathered till now.
According to the Enforcement Directorate, on November 27, 2020, a case was registered by CBI, Kolkata against Amit Kumar Dhar, the then general manager, Kunustoria area, ECL; Jayesh Chandra Rai, general manager ECL, Kajora Area; Tanmay Das, chief security, ECL Asansol; Dhananjay Rai, Area Security Inspector ECL; Debashish Mukerjee, Security in charge, Kajora area, ECL; Anup Majee @ Lala and unknown officials of ECL, CISF, Railways, other department and unknown private persons for alleged commission of cognizable offence various sections of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act.
ED explained in detail in the application that the investigation was taken up to trace the proceeds of crime as it was revealed that "large proceeds of crime" were generated and laundered as a result of illegal coal mining.