New Delhi, July 8 -- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen balances worth Rs.440 crore in three bank accounts of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the agency said on Wednesday.

An order under Section 17(1A) of the PMLA was issued to freeze the funds lying in three accounts maintained by the Mamata Banerjee-led party with HDFC Bank.

The development comes a day after the agency raided properties linked to a flight charter firm in and around Kolkata as part of its investigation into allegedly suspicious transactions from the TMC's bank accounts.

"ED Kolkata Zonal Office has conducted search operations at five premises in and around Kolkata under the provisions of the PMLA, be...