ED summons former TMC MP and actor Nusrat Jahan in 2020 ration smuggling case
It was alleged that during the Covid-19 lockdown, several trucks were seized in border areas of Basirhat on charges of smuggling wheat and rice to Bangladesh
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Bengali actor and former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Nusrat Jahan to its Salt Lake office in Kolkata on April 22 as part of its probe into a 2020 ration smuggling case, sources said, adding Jahan, who is currently on a vacation abroad, has requested to appear at the ED headquarters in New Delhi.
However, no official statement has been issued by the actor on the matter.
The ED had initiated its investigation based on a West Bengal Police FIR registered at Basirhat Police Station on October 23, 2020, following a complaint by the Deputy Commissioner of Customs, Ghojadanga Land Customs Station. The case pertains to the alleged large-scale diversion of Public Distribution System (PDS) wheat meant for welfare schemes.
It was alleged that during the Covid-19 lockdown, several trucks were seized in border areas of Basirhat on charges of smuggling wheat and rice to Bangladesh. Jahan was the Basirhat MP at that time.
According to ED sources, several names have surfaced during the investigation into the alleged scam, and the actor has been summoned for interrogation on the matter.
According to ED sources, the financial transactions of several individuals and organisations involved in the ration smuggling racket are being investigated. Although the ED has not yet made any direct allegations, sources claim that as Jahan was the MP at that time, it is crucial to question her.
The ED had previously questioned Jahan for six hours at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake in connection with a flat scam case in 2023.
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The chargesheet stated that in 2014-15, a homebuyers organisation, of which Jahan was the director, had collected Rs 5.5 lakh each from more than 400 senior citizens, promising flats of around 1,000 square feet. However, neither the flats were delivered nor was the money returned. Jahan, however, had denied all allegations.
Tanusree Bose is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Kolkata. Her work focuses sharply on the complex administrative, political, and judicial developments across West Bengal, establishing her as an authoritative voice in regional news coverage.
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