The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its probe into mining trader Ratikant Raut, alias ‘Zulu’, by seeking detailed records of vehicle purchases and sales linked to 34 alleged ‘benami’ (unknown) individuals and entities.
According to sources, the ED has written to the Odisha Transport Commissioner, asking for transaction records of all vehicles bought or sold under these names, including those registered with their respective PAN numbers.
This move comes after ED raids on eight locations in Dhenkanal, Hindol, and Bhubaneswar on January 8, 2025, as part of a probe into suspected illegal mining and money laundering. A PMLA case was registered against Raut following the raids.
The investigation took a sensational turn earlier this year when the CBI arrested ED Deputy Director Chintan Raghuvanshi for allegedly accepting a Rs 20 lakh bribe from Raut to settle the case.
The ED’s Bhubaneswar Zonal Office has provided the Transport Department with a list of names and entities, instructing them to verify whether any vehicle transactions were conducted by them. The Transport Commissioner has been directed to furnish the information promptly.
Officials said the step is part of the agency’s ongoing effort to trace possible financial irregularities involving the accused and their network of associates.
