ED raids Carewell Aviation Group, freezes Rs 440.42 crore in Trinamool Congress bank accounts
Babushahi Bureau
Kolkata (West Bengal), July 8, 2026: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has carried out search operations at premises linked to the Carewell Group of Companies, a Kolkata-based aviation firm, as part of a money laundering probe that has led to the freezing of Rs 440.42 crore lying in three bank accounts of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC).
The searches were conducted at five locations in and around Kolkata under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. According to the ED, the investigation is based on an FIR registered by the Cyber Police Station, Bidhannagar, West Bengal, alleging dishonest financial transactions, unlawful collection of funds and routing of suspected money through certain AITC bank accounts.
The ED said it has frozen balances amounting to Rs 440.42 crore in three HDFC Bank accounts of the AITC under Section 17(1A) of the PMLA.
The agency's preliminary investigation has revealed that around Rs 160 crore was allegedly transferred from AITC bank accounts to Carewell Aviation India Pvt. Ltd. and a related entity between April 2023 and June 2026. Investigators are examining whether these transactions were linked to alleged financial irregularities.
According to the ED, a significant portion of the funds was allegedly routed through related entities, with approximately Rs 112 crore being used to purchase an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet and an Agusta 109 SP helicopter. The agency is investigating the acquisition of these aviation assets as part of the money laundering probe.
Carewell Aviation India Pvt. Ltd. is a Kolkata-based private aviation company engaged in aircraft and helicopter charter services and aviation logistics. The company, incorporated in 2021, operates in the non-scheduled aviation sector.
The ED said the investigation is continuing, and further action will depend on the evidence collected during the ongoing probe. Neither the Carewell Group nor the Trinamool Congress had issued an official response at the time of publication