Among the six places where the ED is conducting search operations is the Salt Lake office of Chartered Accountant, Arvind Singh, who used to manage the accounts of Trinamool Congress leader Shankar Adhya at Bangaon in North 24 Paragans district.

The ED sleuths are also conducting raid and search operations at the office of an entity dealing in foreign exchange which is linked to Adhya’s sister-in-law Tania Adhya, who is a partner in the firm.

A guest house near the Park Street area in central Kolkata is also being searched by the central agency.

Each ED team was escorted with personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces.

Adhya was arrested earlier this month in the ration distribution case and currently he is in the custody of the ED.

According to the ED, crores of rupees were first converted into foreign currency through foreign exchange dealing entities linked to Adhya and then parked overseas, mainly in Dubai, through the hawala route. ED sleuths have also tracked hawala links in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Adhya was known as a close confidant of West Bengal Forest Minister and former state food and supplies minister Jyotipriya Mallick, who is currently in judicial custody because of his alleged involvement in the ration distribution case.