Dhanbad: Sleuths of Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday searched around 25 locations in Dhanbad as part of an ongoing money-laundering investigation involving coal trading and outsourcing businesses, sources said.ED teams, accompanied by central armed police personnel, reached the residential and commercial premises around 6:30 am. Security personnel secured the entry and exit points before the searches began.Sources said the premises were linked to business associates of coal traders LB Singh and Anil Goyal. Those covered in the searches included Ganesh Yadav, Shekhar Yadav, Rohit Yadav, Madhav Singh, Lakshman Dubey alias Pappu Dubey, Pappu Mandal, Harendra Chauhan, Arun Chauhan, Imtiaz Ali and Mahendra Prasad Singh. The premises of accountant Ritesh Sharma and chartered accountant D N Sinha were also searched, they added.Officials examined financial records, bank documents, property papers and digital devices during the operation. Sources claimed that some documents were seized, though the ED had not confirmed any recoveries at the time of filing this report.At one location, officials reportedly faced a delay after family members of Ranjit Kumar Singh allegedly kept the house locked from inside. The search began after officials secured access, sources said.The searches are believed to be linked to the agency’s investigation into alleged irregularities in Bharat Coking Coal Limited tenders, illegal coal mining and suspected laundering of proceeds. However, the ED had not issued an official statement on the operation or disclosed details of the case until the time of filing this report.In Nov 2025, the agency had searched 18 locations in Jharkhand and West Bengal, including 17 in Dhanbad, as part of an investigation involving premises linked to LB Singh and his associates.
