Kolkata, 16 July (H.S.) :

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted simultaneous searches at 13 locations across the country, including several places in West Bengal, as part of its investigation into an alleged network involved in facilitating the illegal infiltration of Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals, preparing forged Indian identity documents, and laundering the proceeds generated through the operation.

The raids were carried out in Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal, as well as at locations in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. According to the ED, the searches are aimed at uncovering an organised racket allegedly engaged in producing forged identity documents for individuals who had illegally entered India.

Preliminary findings suggest that the network allegedly prepared Aadhaar cards, Elector Photo Identity Cards (EPIC), PAN cards and e-Shram cards in exchange for large sums of money. Investigators suspect that these documents were subsequently used to facilitate the movement of such individuals from West Bengal to other parts of the country, particularly Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

According to official sources, the network first came under the scanner during a human trafficking investigation conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF). The probe reportedly pointed to the existence of organised fake-document syndicates operating in Kolkata, North 24 Parganas and Murshidabad, following which the ED initiated an investigation into the financial aspects of the alleged racket.

The ED has also claimed that the names of certain non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have surfaced during the preliminary investigation. The agency suspects that, in some cases, NGOs may have been used as a front for preparing forged documents and routing large financial transactions linked to the alleged operation.

Investigators further suspect that multiple bank accounts were used to conceal the movement of funds, with money allegedly transferred through numerous small transactions to avoid detection.

The ED believes the alleged human trafficking and fake-document racket could involve illegal financial transactions worth several crores of rupees, with significant links to West Bengal. Search operations were continuing at multiple locations till the filing of this report.

Earlier, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had also carried out raids in West Bengal's border town of Bangaon in connection with an alleged cross-border human trafficking case involving Bangladeshi women and minor girls. That investigation had also pointed to the suspected use of forged identity documents to facilitate illegal trafficking operations.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh