Ranchi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested two Bangladeshi nationals, Rony Mondal and Sameer Chowdhary, along with Indian national Pintu Haldar, in connection with a major case involving illegal infiltration and human trafficking. Additionally, Pinki Basu Mukherjee has also been arrested for facilitating these illegal activities.
The arrests followed a series of raids across Jharkhand and West Bengal, where the ED recovered a range of incriminating items, including fake Aadhaar cards, forged passports, illegal arms, cash, jewellery, and documents related to immovable property. These raids are part of an ongoing investigation into a money laundering syndicate linked to the illegal infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals into India. The ED is bringing the arrested individuals to Ranchi after obtaining a transit remand from a Kolkata court.
The investigation was triggered by an FIR filed by the Jharkhand Police, which revealed a network of agents facilitating the illegal entry of Bangladeshi women into India, often for exploitative purposes such as prostitution. According to ED sources, the syndicate operates extensively across West Bengal and Jharkhand, facilitating the infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals with the help of fake documents, including fabricated Indian citizenship papers.
In addition to the illicit migration, the ED’s probe uncovered evidence linking the trafficking ring to financial transactions associated with the prostitution racket, including a list of payments made to the syndicate. Mobile phones seized during the raids contained incriminating chats, shedding light on the monetary exchanges related to these illegal activities.
The ED’s action comes ahead of the first phase of Jharkhand’s assembly elections, which have seen the issue of Bangladeshi infiltration emerge as a key talking point. The BJP has made it a central issue, particularly in the Santhal Pargana region, where concerns about cultural preservation and tribal identity are prominent.
Sources say the ED is now focusing on individuals and organizations involved in the financial aspects of the infiltration network. The agency has also taken charge of the Bangladeshi infiltration case filed in Ranchi earlier this year, as part of a broader investigation into money laundering linked to cross-border trafficking.
In September, the ED filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following the arrest of several women involved in the prostitution ring. The women were reportedly trafficked from Bangladesh to Kolkata, where their fake identity documents were created before they were brought to Ranchi. The case highlights a larger issue of illegal infiltration, human trafficking, and money laundering tied to these activities.
Further investigations are ongoing, with the ED continuing to probe the financial networks behind these illicit operations.
