The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Agartala Sub-Zonal Office, has conducted search and seizure operations at 13 premises across Tripura, West Bengal and Maharashtra in connection with an alleged fake government tender racket involving a fictitious entity operating under the name of the ‘Directorate of Higher Education’.

The searches were conducted on November 4 under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, as part of an ongoing money-laundering investigation arising from an FIR registered at Capital Complex Police Station in West Tripura.

According to an ED press release issued on Wednesday, the case originated from a complaint filed by Nagpur-based M/s SK Sales Corporation against Abhishek Chandra, an IAS officer of the Tripura cadre, currently under suspension, and his alleged co-conspirators.

The complainant alleged that it was fraudulently induced to pay Earnest Money Deposits (EMDs) amounting to approximately Rs 14.55 crore between September 2024 and February 2025 against purported Tripura government tenders in the mid-day meal and power sectors. The ED stated that the tenders in question had never actually been floated.

The FIR was registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, relating to criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating, cheating by personation and forgery. As these offences are scheduled offences under the PMLA, the ED registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and initiated a money-laundering investigation.

During the investigation, the ED allegedly found that Abhishek Chandra had projected himself as an officer controlling the tender processes of the Tripura government and introduced the complainant to Utpal Kumar Chowdhury, who was presented as the official responsible for processing payments.

The investigation revealed that the EMDs were deposited through demand drafts drawn in favour of the ‘Directorate of Higher Education’. However, the entity was allegedly a proprietary concern owned by Utpal Kumar Chowdhury, which had been given a name deceptively similar to that of the genuine government department.

According to the ED, forged tender notices and work orders were allegedly used to deceive the complainant. A joint venture involving Smt. Krishna Chakraborty, represented by her husband Sudip Paul, was also allegedly used to structure the collection of funds. Partial refunds were reportedly made at crucial stages to maintain the victim’s confidence and induce further payments.

The agency further alleged that the money deposited into the fictitious entity’s bank accounts was transferred within days, and in certain cases within 24 hours, through a network of shell entities. Several of these entities were reportedly registered in the names of domestic staff and associates of Utpal Kumar Chowdhury.

The alleged proceeds of crime were subsequently used to acquire immovable properties, including flats in a housing project and a residential property at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, in the names of family members of Abhishek Chandra. The funds were also allegedly spent on foreign travel and luxury goods, while some amounts were routed through an alleged hawala conduit based in Kolkata.

The ED press release also disclosed that Utpal Kumar Chowdhury and others are already under investigation in a separate money-laundering case, ECIR/AGSZO/03/2025, arising from five FIRs registered in West Bengal and Tripura. In that case, the same fictitious entity and modus operandi were allegedly used to defraud multiple victims of more than Rs 44 crore.

The agency has already issued two Provisional Attachment Orders in the earlier case — Order No. 01/2026 dated January 22, 2026, and Order No. 05/2026 dated July 31, 2026.

During the latest search operations, the ED covered the residential premises of Abhishek Chandra and alleged hawala operators, besides office premises of several companies and entities suspected to be connected with the money trail.

The searches led to the seizure of a large volume of documentary evidence relating to alleged hawala transactions, details of several high-value properties and records indicating suspicious control over corporate entities. Digital devices and records belonging to various accused persons, considered crucial to the ongoing investigation, were also seized.

The Enforcement Directorate stated that further investigation into the case is underway.