CBI raids Eastern Coalfields employee’s house, office in Bengal; son detained, documents seized
Kolkata: The son of an Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) employee was detained, and several documents were seized during raids conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at his residence and office in West Bengal following complaints of bribery and irregularities against him, agency officials said on Thursday.
The CBI sleuths conducted simultaneous searches at the residence and office of the ECL employee, Sankarman Harijan, in Pandabeswar, West Burdwan district, late on Wednesday night.
Harijan is an employee of South Shyamala Colliery, which falls under the Pandabeswar police station limits. He was reportedly not present when the CBI team reached his residence. His son, Pankaj Harijan, was detained for questioning during the operation.
The CBI recovered several documents from the employee’s residence and the local ECL office as part of its investigation into alleged bribery and irregularities involving workers at the colliery.
According to sources, the case relates to a complaint by a colliery worker who had sought light duty because of a physical illness. Harijan allegedly demanded money from the worker, claiming that he could arrange the change in duty in exchange for a bribe.
Following the complaint, the central agency initiated a probe to verify the allegations and collect evidence. The CBI subsequently carried out simultaneous searches at Harijan’s residence and his office at South Shyamala Colliery.
The searches continued for several hours as investigators examined documents and other material available at both locations. However, Harijan was not found during the operation. His son was taken into custody for questioning as investigators sought to gather information about the alleged transactions and the employee’s activities.
A local resident said the CBI team conducted a detailed search of the house and examined various documents. The resident added that since Harijan was absent, his son was taken away by the investigators for questioning.
The CBI is now examining the documents seized during the raids to determine whether Harijan was allegedly involved in other instances of accepting bribes in exchange for arranging work-related benefits for employees.
Investigators are also looking into whether other ECL officials or employees were involved in the alleged arrangement. The agency is questioning Pankaj Harijan and analysing the recovered documents as part of its ongoing investigation.