KOLKATA: The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday said its money laundering probe into a Durga Puja ‘preview shows’ case involving former minister Indranil Sen found that his company transferred nearly Rs 30 lakh through banking channels to former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee .




Sen claimed the amount was paid as “royalty”, the agency said.




The ED, however, did not attribute any criminality to the transaction in its press release, news agency PTI reported.




TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale criticised the ED, accusing it of partisan action.




“About 98% of ED cases against politicians were filed against Opposition leaders. The remaining 2% are those who went and joined the BJP’s washing machine,” he said.




The ED raided premises linked to Sen and questioned him at its Kolkata office following searches this week.




The searches relate to a case concerning alleged financial irregularities by the MassArt (Mahanirban Road Mass Art) Society, which was promoted by Sen’s wife Madhuchhanda Sen and others while managing its Durga Puja ‘Preview Shows’, PTI reported.




"Investigation has revealed that cash of more than Rs 3.8 crore was deposited into the bank accounts of Indranil Sen and his proprietorship concern, Octave Records, during his tenure.




“Also, from the bank account of Octave Records, a sum of nearly Rs 30 lakh was transferred via banking channels to Mamata Banerjee, the then chief minister of West Bengal, which Indranil Sen has claimed was paid in the form of royalty,” the ED claimed.




The money laundering case stems from an FIR filed at Bowbazar Police Station against Sen, his wife and others.




They were alleged to have collected money from the public through MassArt between 2022 and 2025 by falsely claiming to be a UNESCO-sponsored entity and subsequently using the funds for personal gain, PTI reported.




The ED claimed that the accused “systematically commercialised” Durga Puja viewing, effectively converting a public festival into a commercial enterprise for personal gain.




According to the agency, the accused, through MassArt, sold tickets priced between Rs 1,749 and Rs 5,499 to the public for ‘Preview Shows’ across 24 Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata.




The ED said a core element of the alleged “fraudulent” scheme was MassArt’s “deceptive” and “unauthorised” exploitation of UNESCO’s name, goodwill and logo for commercial purposes.




The agency found that over two years, 2023 and 2024, more than one lakh such tickets were issued and the proceeds were allegedly siphoned off either through cash withdrawals from the bank or by being written off under the guise of miscellaneous expenses.




The latest development comes a day after the ED searched 15 locations linked to Sen and others as part of the PMLA investigation.




The agency said the searches were carried out over alleged financial irregularities connected with MassArt’s activities, including its Durga Puja ‘Preview Shows’.




According to the ED, the society allegedly collected substantial sums from the public while portraying itself as a UNESCO-sponsored organisation, with the agency probing the suspected diversion of those funds for personal gains.




(With agency inputs)