ED Raids Traders, Sena UBT Leader in Maharashtra in Illegal Sand Mining Money Laundering Probe

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday carried out extensive search operations across Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh as part of a money laundering investigation linked to illegal sand mining and transportation activities. Among those targeted in the multi-state crackdown was a local leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), along with several businessmen and sand traders, officials said.

According to sources familiar with the investigation, ED teams conducted raids at more than 15 locations, including residential and commercial premises, in connection with a case originally registered by Nagpur police in 2022. The searches began early in the morning and continued late into the night, spanning multiple districts in both states.

In Maharashtra, the ED focused its operations in Nagpur district and nearby areas such as Saoner, Khapa, Patansawangi and Bhandara. In Madhya Pradesh, premises were searched in districts including Bhopal, Hoshangabad and Betul. Officials said teams from Nagpur, Mumbai and New Delhi coordinated the operation, indicating the scale and seriousness of the probe.

The ED’s Mumbai Zone-II unit reportedly conducted searches at around 10 locations in Nagpur alone. One of the premises searched was allegedly linked to a district-level functionary of Shiv Sena (UBT). Authorities clarified that the raids were part of a broader investigation into financial irregularities and not limited to any single individual or political affiliation.

The case pertains to alleged large-scale irregularities in the excavation, transportation and sale of sand, a high-demand construction material. Investigators believe sand was illegally sourced from riverbeds in Madhya Pradesh and transported into Maharashtra without paying mandatory government royalties. The activity allegedly resulted in significant revenue losses to the exchequer and generated proceeds worth several crores of rupees.

The ED’s money laundering probe is based on earlier FIRs registered by Nagpur city police, which flagged cross-border sand transportation and illegal mining operations involving traders from both Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. These FIRs formed the basis for the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) registered by the central agency.

Officials said the businessmen and traders under scrutiny had earlier been summoned multiple times for questioning. However, due to what the agency described as a lack of cooperation during the inquiry, the ED decided to carry out search and seizure operations to gather documentary and digital evidence.

While the agency has not yet disclosed details of any seizures made during the raids, officials confirmed that financial records, electronic devices and transaction-related documents were examined as part of the investigation. The findings from the searches are expected to play a key role in establishing the alleged money trail linked to illegal sand mining.

The probe, which initially began as a local police investigation in 2021–22, has now expanded into a full-fledged multi-state money laundering case. The ED is examining whether proceeds from the illegal sand trade were layered and channelled through shell entities or benami accounts.

The latest action highlights the ED’s continued focus on environmental crimes and resource exploitation cases, which have increasingly come under the ambit of financial crime investigations due to their scale and economic impact.