New Delhi, Sep 9 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday alleged that scrutiny of bank accounts of a publishing company for an Urdu daily promoted by TMC MP Nadimul Haque revealed Bitcoin transactions from "tainted" sources that lacked any business rationale.

It said that the bank accounts of the company, Akhbar-e-Mashriq Pvt. Ltd., holding funds worth Rs 5.25 crore, were frozen during the three-day searches launched on September 7 against it, Haque and others.

The company is the publisher of the daily Akhbar-e-Mashriq.

The ED said the company maintained bank accounts in four public and private banks with cumulative "cash" deposits exceeding Rs 60 crore.

Three bank accounts, in which cash deposits of Rs 5.60 crore had been made, were closed by the company, it added.

"Scrutiny of the accounts also revealed Bitcoin purchase transactions emanating from tainted sources, without any identifiable business rationale," the agency alleged.

It alleged that the company "inflated" the number of published copies of its newspaper with the intent of "misrepresenting" its circulation figures and thereby securing higher advertisement revenues.

The Trinamool Congress had earlier rejected the charges against its MP, saying the ED action was part of "Operation Lotus 2.0" to put pressure on party lawmakers who do not cross over. Haque, 56, is with the Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the TMC.

A total of nine premises in Kolkata, Ranchi and Delhi linked to the company, its associated entities and directors, another company named Crayons Advertising and Mashriq Media, apart from the residential premises of Haque, were raided by the ED under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The agency said its case stems from an FIR registered by the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate against the newspaper company and others, alleging publication and dissemination of material promoting communal disharmony through the news outlet and social media and digital platforms along with claims of dubious transactions in accounts. PTI NES RT