The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has unearthed a sophisticated sand smuggling racket in West Bengal following extensive raids across multiple locations on Monday.
Investigators revealed a two-step modus operandi behind the illegal operations. In the first stage, multiple trucks belonging to different owners were assigned the same registration numbers to transport sand from riverbanks. The second stage involved forging QR codes, originally issued by district authorities, to authorise trucks not permitted to carry sand.
Documents seized by the ED confirm evidence of duplicated registration numbers and manipulated QR codes. Officials suggest the scale of the operation indicates involvement of administrative insiders, as well as possible political patronage that allowed the racket to thrive unchecked.
This marks the first time the ED has launched an operation in West Bengal specifically targeting sand smuggling networks.
[Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed.]

ED uncovers fake QR codes, duplicate truck numbers in Bengal’s multi-crore sand scam

ED Exposes Bengal Sand Smuggling Racket

ED uncovers fake QR codes, duplicate truck numbers in Bengal’s multi-crore sand scam

September 9, 2025 | 11:28 IST