Kolkata, April 29: Enforcement Directorate, on Monday, informed a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata that a share of the profit generated from the illegal land-grabbing deals of Sheikh Shahjahan in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali has gone to some influential members of the state cabinet. The ED counsel also informed the court that a part of the money earned from the deals was also invested in purchasing sophisticated arms. Sandeshkhali Violence: CBI Registers FIR in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali Case in Connection with Land Grabs, Sexual Harassment Probe

The agency's claim comes amidst the recovery of sophisticated firearms, ammunition, explosives and bombs following a joint search operation by CBI and NSG at the residence of a close aide of Shahjahan in Sandeshkhali last week. On Monday, the ED counsel also informed the court that Shahjahan also used influence in manipulating different tenders floated by the state government for various government projects. There were manipulations in the tendering process to ensure that only close aides of Shahjahan were awarded the contracts, the ED counsel informed the special court. Sandeshkhali Case: CBI Creates Dedicated E-Mail ID for Receiving Victims’ Complaints Related to Land Grabbing Accusations in North 24 Parganas

While being produced in the special court, Shahjahan was questioned by the waiting media persons about the recent recovery of arms, ammunition and explosives from Sandeshkhali. However, he refused to give any answer on this issue.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 29, 2024 05:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).