The Enforcement Directorate searched the premises of Kolkata-based realty company Merlin Group and its promoters on Wednesday as part of a money laundering investigation, officials said.

About seven premises linked to the group and its promoters, Sushil Mohta and Saket Mohta, were raided under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.

A response from the company on the searches is awaited.

The promoters and the company are under the federal probe agency's scanner on charges of fabricating a "false" chain of title using "forged" documents, leading to allegations of land grabbing.

The action comes at a time when West Bengal is poll-bound, with two-phased voting scheduled for April 23 and April 29.

The ED alleged that the accused commercially "exploited" the purportedly grabbed land by launching "large-scale" real estate projects.

By projecting themselves as lawful owners using "forged" documents, the accused induced the public to invest "substantial" sums in their real estate projects, according to the agency.

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