New Delhi, Oct. 16 -- The Enforcement Directorate launched simultaneous raids on Thursday at several locations in West Bengal in relation to an alleged sand smuggling racket, a senior official said.

The ED raids are being targeted at individuals who are allegedly involved in the scam, he said.

Several teams of ED raided offices in Kolkata's Bentinck Street area, Lalgarh and Gopiballavpur in Jhargram district. Another raid was carried out at the residence of a businessman in Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman district, the official informed.

"These raids are part of our investigation into illegal sand mining. The ED operations started from early morning," he said.

ED officials are raking up business records, financial documents, and properti...