The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its investigation into the political consultancy firm I-PAC. In a massive multi-city operation on Thursday, federal agents conducted raids at I-PAC offices in Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. This follows a previous search on January 8th at the residence of I-PAC head Pratik Jain and the agency’s regional headquarters.

In a dramatic turn of events during the initial searches, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee personally visited the I-PAC office and Pratik Jain’s residence to show solidarity. Despite the Chief Minister’s strong stance against the central agency’s intervention, the ED has proceeded with further raids to scrutinize financial documents and transactional records.

While the Trinamool Congress has labeled these actions as “politically motivated,” ED sources suggest that the crackdown is part of a larger probe into alleged financial irregularities. This development has triggered a fresh political face-off between the State and the Centre.