Kolkata: The ED on Tuesday arrested two people — Chinmay Mandal and Kiran Khan — for their alleged role in illegal extraction of coal, its transportation, and extorting legal collieries in the Asansol-Durgapur belt. The agency has traced Rs 170 crore collected by the duo over eight years.They allegedly worked under Anup Maji alias Lala, the prime suspect in the illegal coal mining case. Agency officials said multiple discrepancies were found in their statements during interrogation. They were produced before the special PMLA court in Kolkata on Tuesday and were remanded in ED custody for 10 days, said ED lawyer Bhaskar Prasad Banerjee.Working on the case based on more than 50 FIRs by the CISF and Eastern Coalfield officials, ED officials found that an illegal levy system, or “goonda tax”, was imposed on every truck of coal extracted legally. The money then went to a syndicate and was later distributed among accomplices. ED officials are looking into the involvement of others.While Chinmay was close to Lala, Kiran rose through the ranks from being a small illegal coal trader to a businessman, officials said. Earlier this month, ED officials recovered cash and jewellery after searches at the premises of the duo. ED officials also searched the home of Manoranjan Mondal, the officer in charge of Budbud Police Station.ED sources said Chinmay collected Rs 68 crore between 2018 and 2026, while Kiran collected nearly Rs 100 crore during the period through a number of illegal operations in the Asansol-Durgapur colliery areas.Cop transferred: Budbud PS officer in charge, summoned by the ED in connection to illegal coal mining, was transferred on Tuesday. While Manoranjan Mandal was sent to his earlier posting at Asansol Durgapur Police Commissionerate, Avijit Singha Roy was posted at Budbud.
