The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at 13 locations across Tripura, West Bengal and Maharashtra in an alleged Rs. 14.55 crore fake government tender fraud involving suspended IAS officer Abhishek Chandra, suspected hawala operators and fraudulent government tender documents.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted search and seizure operations at 13 locations across Tripura, West Bengal and Maharashtra in connection with an alleged fake government tender racket involving the fraudulent collection of approximately Rs. 14.55 crore from a Nagpur-based company. The investigation reportedly involves suspended Tripura-cadre IAS officer Abhishek Chandra, his alleged co-conspirators and suspected hawala operators.
The searches were carried out by the ED’s Agartala Sub-Zonal Office at residential premises linked to Chandra and other alleged associates, as well as offices of companies suspected of being connected to the money trail. During the operation, officials seized documents relating to alleged hawala transactions, details of high-value properties, digital devices and records indicating suspicious control over certain corporate entities.
According to an ED press release issued on Thursday, the searches were conducted under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The operation forms part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged financial fraud carried out through a fictitious entity operating under the name ‘Directorate of Higher Education’.
The investigation originated from an FIR registered at Capital Complex Police Station in West Tripura following a complaint filed by M/s SK Sales Corporation, a Nagpur-based company, against Abhishek Chandra and his alleged associates.
The complainant alleged that it was induced to deposit Earnest Money Deposits (EMDs) amounting to approximately Rs. 14.55 crore between September 2024 and February 2025 against purported Tripura government tenders related to the mid-day meal and power sectors. However, according to the ED, the tenders had never actually been floated by the government.
Following the registration of the FIR, the ED registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and initiated a money laundering investigation. The agency stated that the alleged offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, constituted scheduled offences under the PMLA, providing the basis for its investigation.
During the investigation, the agency allegedly found that Abhishek Chandra, who is currently under suspension, projected himself as an officer exercising control over government tender processes. He allegedly introduced the complainant to Utpal Kumar Chowdhury, who was presented as the official responsible for processing payments connected with the purported tenders.
The ED investigation reportedly revealed that the EMD payments were deposited through demand drafts drawn in favour of an entity named ‘Directorate of Higher Education’. However, the agency alleged that this was not the genuine government department but a proprietary concern belonging to Chowdhury, whose name was deceptively similar to that of the actual government institution.
According to the agency, forged tender notices and work orders were allegedly used to convince the complainant that the transactions were genuine government contracts. A joint venture involving Smt Krishna Chakraborty, represented by her husband Sudip Paul, was also allegedly used to facilitate the collection and movement of funds.
The investigation further indicated that partial refunds were made at crucial stages of the transactions to maintain the complainant’s confidence and encourage additional payments. The agency suspects that this arrangement helped the accused continue collecting money under the pretext of government tender opportunities.
The ED alleged that the collected funds were subsequently transferred through a network of shell entities, some of which were reportedly registered in the names of Chowdhury’s domestic staff and associates. These transactions were allegedly structured to conceal the origin and ownership of the proceeds of crime.
The agency also claimed that a portion of the alleged proceeds was utilised to purchase immovable properties, including flats in a housing project and a residential property at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. These properties were allegedly acquired in the names of family members of Abhishek Chandra.
Apart from property investments, the alleged proceeds of crime were reportedly spent on foreign travel and luxury goods. The investigation also identified a Kolkata-based hawala conduit allegedly used to transfer money through unofficial financial channels.
The ED further stated that it had already been investigating Utpal Kumar Chowdhury and other individuals in a separate case involving five FIRs registered in West Bengal and Tripura. According to the agency, the same fictitious entity and a similar modus operandi were allegedly used to cheat multiple victims of more than Rs. 44 crore.
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In connection with that separate investigation, provisional attachment orders were issued on January 22 and July 31, 2026, to prevent the alleged proceeds of crime from being transferred or disposed of.
The latest search operation across the three states is aimed at gathering further evidence regarding the alleged financial transactions, property acquisitions, corporate arrangements and hawala networks connected with the suspected tender fraud.
The Enforcement Directorate has stated that further investigation is underway. The allegations against the individuals involved remain subject to investigation and legal proceedings.
