In the fake passport ‘scam’ case in West Bengal, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has begun investigating a money-laundering angle of the case, and said it has got some leads and clues which suggest that proceeds of the crime had been sent to Bangladesh through the Hawala route.
According to the ED, there are “indications” that the racket operated primarily out of West Bengal, and its network extended well into Bangladesh.
According to sources, the investigators have identified an alleged “two-layer” inflow of large sums of money into the racket, which involved the illegal entry of Bangladeshi nationals into India and then making fake Indian identity documents for them.
The alleged payments ranged between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh for illegal cross-border movement and temporary shelter in West Bengal villages near the international border, as well as to procure fake identity documents such as birth certificates, ration cards, PAN cards, voter ID (EPIC), and Aadhaar cards.
In the “second layer”, payments varied between Rs 75,000 and Rs 1 lakh for acquiring forged Indian passports, using the earlier fake documents as supporting evidence.
ED sources alleged that a large portion of the money earned from these illegal activities was sent back to Bangladesh through the Hawala network.
The financial trails have now raised suspicions that the racket may have links to fundamentalist groups operating in Bangladesh, suggesting a larger and more complex nexus.
Two key accused, Indian national Alok Nath and Bangladeshi national Azad Mullick were arrested from different locations in West Bengal earlier this month. Mullick, who ran Mullick Trading Corporation, had allegedly obtained fake Indian identity documents, including a passport, and was reportedly “operating a Hawala syndicate” from his Kolkata residence.
Last month, the Kolkata Police had filed a 140-page chargesheet in a lower court in connection with this case. In the chargesheet, 130 individuals had been named, out of whom 120 were Bangladeshi nationals who were absconding and the remaining Indian. While the Bangladeshi nationals had been charged with paying large sums to obtain fake Indian passports, the Indian nationals were charged with facilitating the creation of counterfeit identity documents.