I-PAC Director Assists Enforcement Directorate In Data Extraction: What It Means

A representative for an I-PAC director assisted the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi with extracting data from seized electronic devices, as the agency investigates alleged financial irregularities and money laundering within the political consultancy firm.

Photograph: ANI on X

Key Points

I-PAC director's representative assists Enforcement Directorate with data extraction from seized devices.
The ED is investigating I-PAC for alleged financial irregularities and money laundering.
Director Vinesh Chandel was arrested in connection with the case and is in ED custody.
The probe stems from a Delhi Police FIR against I-PAC for falsification of accounts and handling unaccounted funds.
The ED alleges I-PAC laundered approximately Rs 50 crore of proceeds of crime.

A legal representative of Rishi Raj Singh, a director of political consultancy firm I-PAC, on Monday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi for assisting the agency in taking a dump of certain electronic gadgets seized from the premises of the executive during recent raids, officials said.

The company, established in 2015, provides political consultancy to a number of political outfits including to the parties in power in two poll-bound states -- TMC in West Bengal and DMK in Tamil Nadu. It has three founding directors including Singh, Vinesh Chandel, who was arrested by the ED recently, and Pratik Jain.

I-PAC Director Assists With Data Extraction

The officials said an authorised representative of Singh appeared on his behalf before the investigating officer of the case to assist him in taking a dump (evidence) from certain electronic gadgets seized from the premises of the executive during raids conducted against him on April 2.

The federal probe agency had arrested Chandel in this case after his questioning in Delhi on April 13. He is currently in ED custody.

Allegations of Financial Irregularities

The probe stems from a Delhi Police FIR against the Indian PAC Consulting Pvt Ltd (I-PAC) on charges of falsification of accounts and handling of unaccounted funds through its directors among others.

The ED earlier said it has come across "multiple" instances of alleged financial irregularities and various modes of "money laundering" by I-PAC, including receipt of accounted and unaccounted funds, receipt of unsecured loans without any business credentials, issuance of bogus bills and invoices, receipt of funds from third parties and movement of cash through hawala channels.

Coal Scam Link

It claimed I-PAC was involved in laundering about Rs 50 crore proceeds of crime. This case is "linked" to the coal "scam" probe, the officials said.

Jain's premises and I-PAC's office in Kolkata were raided by the ED on January 8 in the coal "scam" case and the action courted controversy after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached these premises and took away certain documents claiming the ED was trying to take away its election strategy-related documents.

The ED has approached the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court claiming "gross abuse of power" by the chief minister as it sought a CBI probe into this incident.

Under Indian law, charges related to falsification of accounts and money laundering can carry significant penalties, including imprisonment and fines. The Enforcement Directorate will likely continue its investigation by analysing the extracted data and potentially questioning other individuals associated with I-PAC.

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