ED freezes TMC’s bank deposits worth Rs 440.42 crore in Carewell Group money laundering case. TMC has described this action taken under PMLA as politically motivated.
Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has dealt a major blow to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) as part of its investigation into a money laundering case related to Carewell Group. The agency has frozen TMC’s deposits of Rs 440.42 crore in HDFC Bank. ED’s Kolkata unit has taken this action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This step has been taken after ED raids on Kolkata-based aviation company Carewell Group.
Investigation is being done on how the planes and helicopters purchased with TMC funds were later given on rent to TMC itself. ED has found that between April 2023 and June 2026, about Rs 160 crore was transferred from the bank accounts of Trinamool Congress to ‘Carewell Aviation’ and its subsidiaries. The investigating agency says that out of this amount, Rs 82.96 crore was sent to a newly created shell company. ED said that by spending a total of Rs 112 crore, one ‘Embraer Legacy 600’ aircraft and one ‘Agusta 109 Grand New’ helicopter were purchased. The report also said that an unsecured loan of $1.7 million was taken from a foreign company in the Cayman Islands to purchase the helicopter. It is alleged that later the same plane and helicopter were given for the use of Trinamool Party.
ED started this action when rebel leaders of Trinamool Congress raised the demand for investigation of party funds. The rebel group had approached the Election Commission, but the ED started its investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. At the same time, Trinamool Congress leaders standing with Mamata Banerjee have termed this action of ED as completely politically motivated and unjust. TMC has made it clear that all the funds of the party are completely legal and transparent. Information about all donations received by the party is regularly given to the Election Commission and Income Tax Department. He alleged that the BJP government at the Center was misusing central agencies to harass political opponents.