Kolkata: ED seizes Rs 3 crore from businessman in 'lottery scam'

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized approximately Rs 3 crore in cash from a businessman's house in Kolkata today as part of their investigation into a lottery scam.

The ED began searches at multiple locations in West Bengal yesterday. The searches are connected to an alleged lottery scam. A senior ED officer stated that the amount recovered from the businessman's house on Kavi Bharati Sarani is still being counted.

The agency used note-counting machines at the businessman’s residence and another location in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas district, where searches are ongoing. The Madhyamgram location, a building in Micheal Nagar, was reportedly used as an office and godown for the lottery operation.

The ED seized documents from the Madhyamgram location. An ED official said, “The search is on. We have seized several documents, but cannot talk about the money part at the moment.”

The ED believes the scam involved printing and distributing lottery tickets from the building in Madhyamgram and may involve influential people. The investigation is part of a larger money laundering probe. The nationwide operation includes searches in West Bengal, Sikkim, and Tamil Nadu. The ED previously attached assets worth over Rs 277 crore in Tamil Nadu related to this scam.

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