Wildlife remains unearthed in ED search linked to Rs 120 crore fraud

Wildlife remains including elephant bones and antlers were recovered from a suspect’s home in Mayurbhanj district during Enforcement Directorate searches linked to a fraud. The Enforcement Directorate stated that officials found two jawbones and a bone suspected to be of an elephant, along with six antlers, at the residence of Iswar Chandra Bindhani. The agency said the information was immediately shared with forest authorities, who initiated action under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at 11 locations in Odisha and West Bengal as part of a money laundering probe stemming from an economic offences wing First Information Report against Amit Mandal, Sanjay Kumar Samal, Iswar Chandra Bindhani, Srikant Mallick, Parthi Sarthi Mohapatra and others. The agency stated that nearly Rs 120 crore was credited to the accounts of the accused persons and associated entities through an investment scheme promising monthly returns between 3.5% and 7%. Investigators froze bank deposits worth approximately Rs 4.5 crore across 36 accounts and a bank locker, alongside seizing incriminating documents and digital devices.