SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Dec 12: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday morning raided the residence and office of prominent Dhanbad-based coal trader Manoj Agrawal, located in Bhelatand and Dhansar, respectively.
The ED teams arrived at both locations simultaneously around 7 am. Central security personnel accompanying the officials reached in four vehicles and cordoned off the premises before the ED team entered the residence and locked it from inside to begin the search.
On November 21, ED teams from Kolkata had conducted similar raids at the residences and offices of five coal traders and transporters in the district.
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Security personnel deployed outside Agrawal’s residence said they were unaware whether Friday’s teams had come from Ranchi or Kolkata.
Manoj Agrawal operates Deco Outsourcing, a coal supply company.
According to sources, ED officials are examining financial transactions, documents linked to the coal business, and electronic data at both sites. The search operation is expected to continue throughout the day.
Last month, the ED raided nearly 18 locations in Dhanbad. During that operation, important documents and digital records were seized from the residences and offices of coal businessmen Anil Goyal and Lalbabu Singh.
