The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Thursday conducted searches in Keonjhar and Bhubaneshwar at the residential and office premises of Soumya Shankar Chakra alias Raja Chakra and his related entities in connection with a money laundering investigation, sources said. Chakra, a youth leader of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), is currently in judicial custody in a related case being investigated by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Bhubaneshwar. The case, though rooted in Odisha, is being probed by the ED’s Headquarters Unit due to its sensitivity and potential involvement of influential individuals. The investigation revolve around large-scale financial irregularities in Gandhamardan Loading Agency and Transporting Co-operative Society Ltd., Keonjhar. The ED alleges that Chakra, though not formally an office bearer, exercised de facto control over the society and colluded with its officials to siphon off public funds. The agency claims that crores of rupees were misappropriated using forged records, manipulated work orders, and inflated or fake expenses under heads such as periphery development, fuel, and transport. During the searches, the ED identified over 70 vehicles, most bearing registration numbers ending in "21", allegedly owned by Chakra and his benami entities. These vehicles, suspected to have been bought using proceeds of crime, were also reportedly used to generate further illicit income through illegal mining and transport operations, the sources said. The ED is further probing alleged diversion of embezzled funds into the liquor business operated under a licence issued in the name of Chakra’s wife, Rupali Pattanaik. Investigators said that while the licence was registered in Pattanaik’s name, payments for liquor sales were received in other accounts. Officials said documents and digital evidence were seized during the raids. ED teams also visited the Keonjhar offices of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and the Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) to collect records related to Chakra’s alleged illegal mining activities. The ED said its investigation may uncover the role of other influential individuals in the financial irregularities, as per the sources.