Bhubaneswar: Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials launched simultaneous raids on the properties linked to Ratnakar Rout, a prominent mining businessman in Odisha.
As per preliminary information, the raids by the central probe agency are in progress at 12 locations in Dhenkanal and Bhubaneswar. The searches are being carried out by ED officials from New Delhi in connection with cases pertaining to alleged financial transactions and mining operations.
The farmhouse and residence of Rout in Dhenkanal, Hindol and three other places are also being searched as part of the operation.
It may be noted that the central investigating agency has mounted the crackdown over alleged irregularities in financial transactions.
The raids, which began early in the morning, are part of an ongoing investigation into alleged financial irregularities and violations of mining laws. ED officials are scrutinising Rout’s business dealings, financial transactions, and property acquisitions.
The crackdown follows a series of similar searches conducted by the ED in recent months, highlighting the agency’s intensified efforts to combat financial crimes and illegal mining operations in the state
