Enforcement Directorate has arrested the Inspector in Charge Ashok Mishra of Bankura Directorate in connection with Coal Smuggling Scam.
According to sources, Ashok Mishra is a close associate to Vinay Mishra, a young TMC leader accused of smuggling coal and cattle.
In March, The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Vinay Mishra's brother Bikas in connection with the coal smuggling case, officials said.
Bikas Mishra, sources say, was arrested from Delhi after being questioned briefly in relation to the case. Later, a designated court in Delhi sent him to ED custody for the next six days.
Vinay Mishra, an alleged close associate of Mamta Banarjee's nephew Abhishek Banarjee, is an absconding accused in the cattle smuggling case. The CBI has already recorded statements of Abhishek Banarjee's wife and other relatives in the coal smuggling case.
Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had issued an arrest warrant against Vinay Mishra in connection with the cattle smuggling case. Later, a designated court in Kolkata issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Vinay Mishra.
Vinay Mishra has been summoned by the central probe agencies multiple times to date but has failed to join the investigation in the cattle smuggling across the India-Bangladesh border.
The CBI had earlier carried out raids at multiple locations in West Bengal, including the premises of Mishra. A lookout notice has been issued against Vinay Mishra and all the airports, ports and borders have been alerted regarding the same.