ED Raids 17 Sites In PDS Scam: Kolkata Zonal Office Targets Nirajan Chandra Saha Network Under PMLA.

(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)

Kolkata, April 18, 2026 – In an explosive crackdown exposing a deep-rooted syndicate looting welfare ration from the mouths of the poor, the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) Kolkata Zonal Office raided 17 premises across Kolkata, Bongaon, Raniganj, Murshidabad, and Habra on April 10.

The high-stakes searches under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, targeted Nirajan Chandra Saha and his shadowy network in a sensational Public Distribution System (PDS) scam that’s left the public exchequer bleeding crores.

Investigators uncovered a chilling ₹30.9 lakh in unaccounted cash, alongside troves of incriminating documents and digital evidence laying bare a money-laundering trail.

But the real shocker? A brazen operation diverting over 5,101 metric tonnes of subsidized PDS wheat meant for India’s hungry straight to Bangladesh smugglers for black-market profits.

From FIR to Arrests: Unravelling the PDS Heist

The ED probe ignited from a 2020 West Bengal Police FIR (No. 1150/2020, Basirhat PS) filed by the Deputy Commissioner of Customs at Ghojadanga LCS.

It alleged a colossal fraud: PDS wheat, procured dirt-cheap through corrupt channels, was repackaged by flipping FCI and government-marked gunny bags to erase traces, then trucked out in 175 vehicles for illegal export.

Caught red-handed, police seized the massive 5,100+ tonne consignment from hidden parking spots, along with bogus invoices, challans, and truck papers riddled with fakes missing vehicle numbers, GST details, and legit trails screaming deliberate deception.

Arrests followed for kingpins Nirajan Chandra Saha, Sahabuddin Sk, and Sahidur Rahaman. A chargesheet now nails them under IPC sections for theft, handling stolen goods, and conspiracy, plus violations of the Essential Commodities Act.

The Modus Operandi: A Web of Corruption Across Districts

ED sleuths peeled back layers of a “well-organised criminal conspiracy” spanning districts with inter-state tentacles. Exporters, wholesalers, suppliers, transporters, and fixers colluded to:

• Snag PDS wheat at throwaway prices via rogue suppliers, licensed distributors, and middlemen.
• Hoard it at secret godowns.
• Reverse-engineer bags to masquerade welfare grain as premium stock.
• Flip it for export or open-market sales, pocketing “proceeds of crime” while the poor went hungry.

“These fraudsters turned India’s safety net into their personal goldmine,” sources close to the probe revealed, pointing to systematic enrichment that demands deeper scrutiny.

The raids netted hard evidence of laundering, with further investigations underway to chase the money trail and haul in more players.

As Bengal reels from this betrayal of public trust, questions swirl: How deep does the rot go, and who else feasted on the ration scam?