Manipur: ED Conducts Raids in ₹57 Crore Money Laundering and Sedition Probe
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on December 17 carried out search operations at several locations in Manipur in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to alleged illegal fund mobilisation and activities aimed at waging war against the Government of India, officials said.
According to sources, at least five premises in Imphal were searched as part of the ongoing probe.
The case is connected to Yambem Biren, who identifies himself as the chief minister of the self-proclaimed Manipur State Council, and Narengbam Samarjit, who claims to be the council’s external affairs and defence minister. The ED stated that both individuals are prominent figures associated with the Salai Group of Companies.
Investigators allege that the duo collected more than ₹50 crore from the public through deceptive investment schemes. The money was allegedly diverted for activities amounting to sedition and actions challenging the sovereignty of India.
The investigation traces its roots to a press conference held in London in 2019, during which Biren and Samarjit allegedly announced Manipur’s independence from India. The ED said the declaration amounted to sedition, promotion of enmity among groups, and an open challenge to the authority of the Indian state.
The accused had earlier been booked by central agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
According to the ED, Biren and Samarjit first established the “Kadangband Swajaldhara Implementation Committee” in May 2003, which was later renamed Smart Society in August 2008. Subsequently, they set up Salai Financial Service (SAFFINS), registered at Sagolband Tera Loukrakpam Leikai in Imphal.
The agency alleged that Smart Society functioned illegally as a non-banking financial company (NBFC), collecting cash deposits from the public in the name of membership fees and offering unusually high returns, which were also paid in cash.
The ED claimed that a total of ₹57.36 crore was mobilised from investors under various schemes and deposited into the personal accounts of the Salai Group, Smart Society, and their directors. These funds have been classified as proceeds of crime and were allegedly used to promote sedition, incite enmity, and wage war against the Government of India.
Officials said further investigation into the case is continuing.
