The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached assets valued at ₹159.51 crore in connection with its investigation into illegal coal mining and transportation in West Bengal, India. The probe has identified a syndicate led by Anup Majee (also known as Lala) involved in large-scale illegal mining activities within the leasehold areas of Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL). The ED's findings indicate that certain companies knowingly purchased illegally excavated coal, facilitating the concealment of proceeds from these crimes. A significant aspect of the operation involved the use of a fraudulent transport challan system, dubbed the ‘Lala pad,’ which allowed the syndicate to evade detection by authorities. Additionally, the ED is investigating the political consultancy firm I-PAC, which has been accused of laundering approximately ₹50 crore through bogus invoices. The agency has attached assets worth a total of ₹482 crore in this case, highlighting the extensive nature of the illegal coal mining operations.