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ED raids five locations to probe Trinamool bank accounts, funds for chartered flights
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Image used for representational purposes. | “Searches are being conducted at five premises in the matter of alleged dishonest financial dealings, unlawful collection of money and routing of suspected funds through certain bank accounts of AITC,” sources said. The raids were conducted on the premises of Carewell Aviation India Pvt. Ltd., a company that had received around ₹160 crore from Trinamool party accounts between April 2023 and June 2026. According to sources, Carewell Aviation Pvt. Ltd. further routed ₹82.96 crore (2023–2026) to another newly incorporated related entity. During the raids, the ED officials have also recovered evidence that showed that around ₹112 crore was used to purchase an Aircraft Embrarer Legacy 600 and one chopper, an Augusta 109 SP. Sources revealed that foreign funding may have been used to purchase some of these assets. The sources of the funds in the bank accounts and where the funds were then utilised are both being investigated. Frozen bank accounts Earlier in mid-June, three bank accounts linked to the Trinamool were frozen by local police after the party's defected MPs and MLAs complained to the authorities. Funds to the tune of ₹440 crore are parked in these accounts, sources said. Former treasurer of the party Aroop Biswas wrote to the bank, flagging the split in the party’s Parliamentary and Legislative wings, and demanded a halt to all financial transactions in its account. The bank then further informed the Bidhannagar police about the decision to “debit freeze” these three accounts. Published - July 08, 2026 08:56 am IST
People walk past a banner of the rebel faction of Trinamool Congress (TMC) displayed outside the Trinamool Bhavan, in Kolkata, on July 3, 2026. | Accompanied by a group of MLAs including Firhad Hakim, Sandipan Saha, Javed Khan, Akhruzzaman, Mr. Banerjee went to the party headquarters office.“We are the real Trinamool. This is our office. Trinamool’s emotions are associated with this office,” Mr. Banerjee said. He added that he had a discussion with the owner on rent related issues.Mamata loyalistsOn receiving the information that the Ritabrata camp was trying to occupy the party office, loyalists of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee – MLA Kunal Ghosh and Baishwnar Chatterjee – arrived at the office to stake claim.Mr. Chatterjee told presspersons that they have a rent agreement till October 2027 and the party office belongs to them. “There is no party without Mamata Banerjee and it is her office. I don’t know at whose behest they (the rival faction) are doing this. We will fight it in accordance with law,” he said.“With the direct support of the government and the police, an expelled person has become the B team of the BJP (referring to Ritabrata Banerjee),” Mr. Ghosh said.Meanwhile, the rebels put a banner with a photo of their newly elected chairperson Arup Roy at the building. A banner with Mamata Banerjee’s photograph and the name of the party also remains hung at the building.The development comes a day after Ritabrata Banerjee and other MLAs belonging to his camp met the full bench of Election Commission (EC) in Delhi and staked claim for the party. The EC has written to both Trinamool camps, led by Mamata Banerjee and Ritabrata Banerjee, seeking responses regarding “claims and counter claims” made by them with respect to organisational elections and authorised signatories.Mr. Banerjee was elected as Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly on June 3, with the support of 58 MLAs. The rebel camp now claims the support of 65 of 80 MLAs.The owner of the Trinamool Metropolitan party office, as it is referred to, is owned by Monotosh Saha, whose company was given the contract of setting up stage for the party during election campaign. However, after the assembly polls the relationship between the owner and the Trinamool changed and he started demanding the property back from the party. Published - July 04, 2026 12:11 am IST
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