ED conducts searches in Tripura fake tender money laundering case

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ED raid over Tripura tender scam

Highlights

The ED conducted searches on 4 November 2026 in a Tripura fake tender money laundering case, investigating ₹14.55 crore allegedly linked to a government tender racket.
The investigation found that the accused, including suspended IAS officer Abhishek Chandra and Utpal Kumar Chowdhury, allegedly raised funds through fake tenders and shell companies and spent them on assets and luxury goods.
As part of the investigation, the ED seized key evidence, including records of hawala transactions, high-value immovable properties and digital records. The probe also links five cases involving more than ₹44 crore in alleged fraud.

This article was translated from the original. Read the original version by our correspondent here.

Search operation and alleged money laundering network

According to a press release by the Enforcement Directorate, its Agartala Sub-Zonal Office conducted searches on 4 November 2026 under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The action was part of an ongoing investigation stemming from an FIR registered at Capital Complex Police Station in West Tripura, which alleges that a government tender racket was operated through a purportedly fake entity called 'Directorate of Higher Education'.

The agency said the FIR, registered on a complaint by Nagpur-based M/s SK Sales Corporation, alleged that around ₹14.55 crore in earnest money deposits was collected between September 2024 and February 2025 in connection with purported Tripura government tenders related to the Mid-Day Meal and power sectors, even though no such tenders had been issued. The ED said it subsequently registered an ECIR and began investigating the money laundering aspect of the case.

During its investigation, the agency allegedly found that suspended IAS officer Abhishek Chandra introduced the complainant to Utpal Kumar Chowdhury while claiming to be an official who controlled the Tripura government's tender process. According to the ED, demand drafts issued in the name of 'Directorate of Higher Education' were actually made out in favour of an entity owned by Utpal Kumar Chowdhury, whose name was similar to that of the genuine government department.

The agency alleged that funds were collected using fake tender notices, forged work orders and joint venture-style arrangements, while occasional partial 'refunds' were made to maintain the complainant's trust and induce further payments.

Assets, hawala links and wider impact

According to the ED, funds allegedly linked to the crime were layered through multiple shell entities within days of being deposited into accounts—and, in some cases, within 24 hours. The agency alleges that several of these entities are registered in the names of Utpal Kumar Chowdhury's domestic staff and associates.

The investigating agency said the alleged proceeds of crime were used to purchase immovable properties and luxury goods, as well as to fund foreign travel. These included flats in a housing project and a residential property in Mumbai's Shivaji Park, which were allegedly acquired in the names of Abhishek Chandra's family members. Some of the funds were also routed through an alleged hawala channel based in Kolkata.

The ED is already investigating Utpal Kumar Chowdhury and others under ECIR/AGSZO/03/2025, which is linked to five FIRs registered in West Bengal and Tripura. According to the agency, more than ₹44 crore was allegedly defrauded from multiple victims in those cases using the same purportedly fake entity and similar methods. Provisional attachment orders had already been issued in connection with the case on 22 January 2026 and 31 July 2026.

During the latest searches, the ED examined premises linked to Abhishek Chandra, alleged hawala operators, and several companies and entities connected to the flow of funds. The agency said it seized documents related to hawala transactions, details of high-value assets, evidence indicating suspected control over corporate entities, as well as several digital devices and records. The investigation is ongoing.

Our previous report on Rajasthan's Nexa Evergreen investment fraud case discussed the ED's ongoing investigation under the PMLA, focusing on funds raised from thousands of investors, an alleged fake-return/Ponzi-like structure, and a substantial shortfall that emerged after payments stopped. The article also detailed the prosecution complaint, searches and freezing/attachment of assets, as well as the investigation into allegations that funds were layered through shell/dummy entities and invested in immovable property and other assets.

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