The Education Bureau went into overdrive to intensify its crackdown on 19 money laundering cases.

New Delhi: law enforcement bureau Bangladesh has stepped up action ahead of parliamentary elections since April 1, taking intensified action against at least 19 money laundering cases involving ministers, police top brass and so-called key political channels.The agency on Monday summoned Rishi Raj, one of the directors of I-PAC, a political consulting firm that worked with TMCSenior IAS officer and former state secretary in the education ministry Manish Jain has also been summoned for questioning in connection with the SSC recruitment scam.Pratik Jainhas, another director of I-PAC, has been summoned several times, intensifying investigations into the affairs of the high-profile political consulting firm. Vinesh Chandel, another director of I-PAC, is currently in ED custody.The intense scrutiny that I-PAC has come under has fueled speculation that the company, which is crucial to the TMC’s poll campaign, has suspended operations, leading CM Mamata Banerjee to deny the claims. The TMC said the “baseless speculations” were aimed at creating confusion.The ED on Sunday raided the residence of Kolkata Police Special Branch DCP Shantanu Sinha Biswas, who is being investigated in connection with the fake NRI quota admission case to private medical colleges in West Bengal.IAS officer Manish Jain’s inquiry came soon after a raid was carried out at the residence of former minister and Banerjee’s close associate Partha Chatterjee. Biswas and former Jhargram Collector Sunil Agarwal are already being investigated in connection with the sand mining money laundering case and coal mining “scam”. His close associate Jay S Kamdar was arrested on Sunday after the ED accused him of being associated with gangster Sona Pappu and involved in “cross-border and domestic hawala trade”.