ED Unearths Crores Cash in Odisha Mining Raids

BHUBANESWAR-  The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) Bhubaneswar Zonal Office conducted sweeping search operations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) across multiple locations in Odisha’s Ganjam district on Friday, targeting interconnected mafias engaged in large-scale illegal excavation and sale of minor minerals like sand and black stone.

During the raids, ED teams recovered crores of rupees in cash stuffed inside almirahs and cupboards, high-end benami vehicles, documents related to immovable properties, mining lease agreements, and other incriminating materials that will be formally seized.

The operations covered premises belonging to brokers, gangsters with serious criminal antecedents, and their business partners who allegedly used muscle power to terrorise locals and conduct illegal mining along the Rushikulya, Bahuda, and Bada riverbeds.

Also Read- PM Modi to Visit West Bengal on January 17–18, flag off Vande Bharat Sleeper train

Sources indicate ED teams raided locations linked to alleged sand mining operators Krupasindhu Muduli, Biswajit Patra, Sachin Padhy, Siba Panda, and Hrushikesh Padhy—vice-president of Ganjam district BJD unit—with searches conducted at three locations in Sheragada, two in Berhampur, and other sites in Kanisi and Aska areas. While unconfirmed reports suggest around ₹2–2.5 crore cash recovery from a single almirah, ED stated exact figures and further details would be disclosed after searches conclude.

ED initiated the probe after registering an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) based on multiple FIRs against sand mafias using forged documents for illegal mineral transportation, corroborated by a recent Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report flagging rampant illegal mining causing massive revenue losses to the Odisha exchequer. The agency described the accused as “gangsters and Bahubalis” exploiting riverbed resources through coercion, with the mafias reportedly connected across Ganjam and linked to prominent political interests.

Also Read- PM Modi to Visit Assam on January 17–18

More than five ED teams, comprising around 100 personnel, executed coordinated searches at over 20 locations including Berhampur city, with operations continuing into Saturday as additional cupboards filled with ₹500 notes were reportedly uncovered. Besides cash, investigators seized luxury benami vehicles, property deeds, contracts, and mining leases executed by the miscreants, all identified as proceeds of crime subject to PMLA attachment and confiscation.

The raids exposed a sand-liquor nexus allegedly enjoying political patronage, with local sources claiming the targeted operators amassed fortunes through systematic illegal extraction.

Also Read- 10,000 Artists to Perform Bagurumba in Guwahati

ED emphasised that the searches target the entire illegal mining ecosystem—from extraction and transportation using fake challans to money laundering through benami assets—vowing thorough investigation into financial irregularities and predicate offences.

Ganjam, a mineral-rich coastal district, has faced persistent issues with riverbed mining mafias despite state crackdowns, with Friday’s raids marking the most significant central agency intervention linking financial crimes to the sector. Further raids remain possible as the agency traces money trails and business networks beyond Ganjam.