NEW DELHI — Enforcement Directorate (ED) has exposed financial mess involving Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Carewell Aviation India Pvt Ltd. Probe reveals TMC,led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee,allegedly funneled Rs 160 crore from party funds to Carewell Aviation for Embraer jet and Agusta VIP helicopter.
Sources say TMC handed an interest-free Rs 88.5 crore deposit to Carewell Aviation, which couldn't buy aircraft on its own. After deposit, Carewell moved funds to offshore entity,Carewell Flyjet IFSC Pvt Ltd,in Gujarat's Gift City, supposedly for aircraft purchase.
Another Rs 16 crore, traced back to Cayman Islands, is linked to this deal. TMC was supposed to pay Rs 186.9 crore, GST excluded,for jet over 72 months and helicopter for 56 months . Yet,they didn't fully use guaranteed flying hours in charter deal.
From 2021 to 2026,TMC hired aircraft from other firms, spending Rs 149 crore . Raises eyebrows about initial deposit and whole arrangement. Charter required a monthly minimum of Rs 90 lakh for plane and Rs 60 lakh for chopper.
Carewell Aviation set up shortly after TMC's third straight win in April 2021 elections. After losing in 2026, TMC made advance rental payment to Carewell for three months,covering until September 2026. This advance has caught investigators' attention,who find it peculiar .
ED questioned Carewell directors,Pawan and Ramesh Jaju,about charter service pricing. TMC was billed Rs 16.5 lakh per flying hour for Embraer jet, while others paid much less—around Rs 7.6 lakh per hour . This gap raises more doubts.
In another twist, TMC reportedly paid Rs 75 lakh per flying hour to Windborne Aviation for Falcon 2000 aircraft. Used Falcon for only 11-12 hours but incurred Rs 9.1 crore costs,averaging Rs 75.7 lakh per hour .
Financial trail shows Rs 160 crore+ moved to Carewell Aviation and related entities from July 2021 to June 2026 for charter services with Embraer and Agusta aircraft. Investigators suspect these deals mask true financial activities.
Jet bought just two months after charter deal made and deposit given. VIP helicopter's charter signed in March 2025,bought a month later in April. These timelines have investigators uneasy, questioning motives behind such rapid transactions .
Carewell Aviation's launch on September 14, 2021, matched TMC's electoral win,hinting at potential link between political funding and aviation contracts. ED's probe digs deeper into these financial webs,with effects that could ripple beyond TMC and Carewell Aviation…
