The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted search and seizure operations at 13 locations across Tripura, West Bengal and Maharashtra in connection with an alleged fake government tender racket involving fraudulent collection of approximately Rs 14.55 crore from a Nagpur-based company.

The searches were conducted by the ED's Agartala Sub-Zonal Office under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, at premises linked to persons and entities allegedly involved in the racket operated through a fictitious entity named 'Directorate of Higher Education'.

According to an ED press release issued on Thursday, the investigation originated from an FIR registered at Capital Complex Police Station in West Tripura on a complaint filed by M/s SK Sales Corporation, Nagpur, against Abhishek Chandra, an IAS officer of the Tripura cadre, and his co-conspirators.

The complainant alleged that it was induced to pay Earnest Money Deposits (EMDs) amounting to approximately Rs 14.55 crore between September 2024 and February 2025 against purported Tripura government tenders in the mid-day meal and power sectors. The tenders, however, had never been floated, the ED said.

The agency subsequently registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and initiated a money laundering investigation, as the offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, were scheduled offences under the PMLA.

The investigation allegedly revealed that Chandra, who is presently under suspension, projected himself as an officer controlling government tender processes and introduced the complainant to Utpal Kumar Chowdhury, who was presented as the official responsible for processing payments.

The EMDs were deposited through demand drafts drawn in favour of the 'Directorate of Higher Education'. However, the entity was allegedly a proprietary concern of Chowdhury, whose name was deceptively similar to that of the genuine government department.

The ED said forged tender notices and work orders were allegedly used to facilitate the fraud. A joint venture involving Smt Krishna Chakraborty, represented by her husband Sudip Paul, was also allegedly used to structure the collection of funds. Partial refunds were made at crucial stages to maintain the complainant's confidence and induce further payments.

According to the agency, the funds were subsequently layered through a network of shell entities, some registered in the names of domestic staff and associates of Chowdhury. The alleged proceeds of crime were used to acquire immovable properties, including flats in a housing project and a residential property at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, in the names of Chandra's family members. The money was also allegedly spent on foreign travel and luxury goods, besides being routed through a Kolkata-based hawala conduit.

The ED said it was already investigating Chowdhury and others in another case involving five FIRs registered in West Bengal and Tripura. The same fictitious entity and modus operandi were allegedly used to defraud multiple victims of more than Rs 44 crore. Provisional attachment orders were issued in that case on January 22 and July 31, 2026.

During Wednesday's searches at residential premises of Chandra and alleged hawala operators, as well as offices of companies linked to the money trail, the agency seized documents relating to hawala transactions, details of high-value properties, digital devices and records allegedly indicating suspicious control over corporate entities.

Further investigation is underway, the ED said.