ED Raids 8 Locations in ₹131-Crore Bihar Illegal Sand Mining Case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday carried out searches at eight locations across Bihar, Delhi, and Rajasthan as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation linked to an alleged ₹130-crore illegal sand mining racket in Bihar, officials said.

The searches were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Banka and Patna districts of Bihar , Delhi , and Sri Ganganagar and Jaipur in Rajasthan .

According to officials, the investigation centres on Mahadev Enclave , a company based in Banka district in southeastern Bihar. The firm is reportedly controlled by Ashok Chandak and his son Raghav Chandak , who are natives of Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan .

The ED's preliminary investigation found that the company allegedly carried out illegal sand mining operations in Banka district without the knowledge of the Bihar Mining Department .

As part of the probe, the ED's Patna zonal office sought assistance from IIT Patna , requesting a geospatial analysis of river sand ghats in Banka in October 2024 . The institute's report allegedly revealed that the company had illegally excavated sand worth approximately ₹131 crore during the period from 2015-16 to 2022-23 .

Based on these findings, the ED shared the information with the Bihar State Mining Corporation Limited under the PMLA framework. Subsequently, the Bihar Mines and Geology Department lodged a police FIR in August 2025 , alleging large-scale illegal mining activities.

The money laundering investigation currently being pursued by the ED is based on this FIR. Officials said the searches are aimed at gathering evidence related to the alleged proceeds of crime and tracing assets connected to the suspected illegal mining operations.