RG Kar scam: ED raids three locations in Kolkata

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials probing the case of financial irregularities at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata were conducting raids at three locations, including the ancestral residence of Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of R.G. Kar principal on Thursday. 

Sources said that the three places where the raid and search operations were being conducted include Ghosh’s ancestral residence at New Town on the northern outskirts of Kolkata, the residence of Chandan Louha at Tala in North Kolkata and a chemist & druggist shop at Kalindi also in north Kolkata.

All three teams of ED officials were escorted by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel.

It is learnt that Louha is an extremely close confidant of Ghosh and even managed to run a cafeteria illegally within the R.G. Kar premises because of the patronage that he received from the former and controversial principal of the hospital.

On the other hand, sources added, the raid and the search operations at the chemist & druggist shop at Kalindi were being conducted after the ED officials tracked several documents relating to business transactions of the entity with the R.G Kar authorities while Ghosh was at the helm of affairs there.

Besides ED, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also conducting a parallel probe into the financial irregularities case, with ED focusing only on the money laundering aspect of the case.

While CBI’s probe is court-ordered and court-monitored, ED has made a suo motu entry in the case after filing an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in the matter.

Sources said that within this short span of investigation, ED officials have already identified several loopholes through which the financial irregularities were conducted, especially the roles of several shell business entities which were used to manipulate the tenders for the supply of medical equipment or work order for any infrastructure maintenance contract.

ED officials also have specific clues on Ghosh earning a huge amount of money as commission for tendering the contract awards illegally. Ghosh is already serving judicial custody in the matter.