ED Probes Rs 160 Cr Fund Transfer to Kolkata Aviation Firm

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated a series of searches across Kolkata, delving into an alleged financial mechanism involving the purchase of high-value aircraft and significant fund transfers. Central to the investigation is Carewell Aviation India Pvt Ltd, an entity that reportedly acquired an Embraer 600 aircraft and an Agusta 109 SP helicopter for a combined sum of Rs 112 crore. The core of the inquiry focuses on an alleged transfer of Rs 160 crore from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to this aviation company, raising questions about financial transparency and the structural patterns of political expenditure.

Carewell Aviation India Pvt Ltd was established in September 2021, a period following the TMC’s third electoral victory in Bengal. Investigations suggest that the company subsequently rented these aircraft back to the TMC, having received funds between 2023 and 2026. This arrangement points to a structural pattern where a political entity allegedly channels funds to an associated company for asset acquisition, then leases those assets, potentially obscuring direct procurement or expenditure pathways.

Searches conducted at five distinct locations in Kolkata were prompted by suspicions of dishonest financial dealings and the alleged routing of funds through TMC bank accounts. A senior official confirmed that approximately Rs 160 crore was transferred from TMC accounts to Carewell Aviation India Pvt Ltd and a related entity, reportedly between April 2023 and June 2026. Further complicating the financial trail, Carewell Aviation is alleged to have routed an additional Rs 82.9 crore to another newly incorporated related entity during the same timeframe, indicating a layering mechanism in the fund movement.

Preliminary findings by the ED indicate that Carewell transferred substantial amounts to a related entity specifically for the purchase of the Embraer Legacy 600. This particular aircraft is suspected to have been utilized extensively by a prominent TMC leader. The funds were also reportedly used to acquire the Agusta 109 SP chopper. While most of the funds are believed to have originated directly from TMC accounts, the ED is also scrutinizing potential