Kolkata, November 17 (IANS). The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in West Bengal is investigating the bank accounts of two Bangladeshi nationals, Ronnie Mondal and Sameer Chaudhary, arrested by it in the hawala case.
ED officials are also investigating the bank accounts of Mandal’s sister, brother-in-law and nephew living in Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas district.
Sources said investigating officers believe that Mandal has high-level influential political contacts due to which he was able to obtain a business license from the local Barrackpore Municipality to carry out contract work for the urban civic body, despite being a Bangladeshi citizen. Done.
Investigating officials believe that Mandal was present at various public meetings of the ruling Trinamool Congress in the area. Sources said that investigation of their bank accounts will give officials clear information about money transactions, which will help in identifying influential people over time.
Apart from Mandal and Chaudhary, ED officials had also arrested two civilians named Pintu Halder and Pinky Basu in connection with the Hawala scam.
On Tuesday, ED officials along with Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel conducted raids and search operations at 12 locations in West Bengal in connection with the hawala scam spread across West Bengal and Jharkhand. This scam is also related to Bangladesh. These 12 places also include the house of a woman in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district, against whom a case was registered in Ranchi.
The woman concerned got other women from Bangladesh to migrate to West Bengal illegally on the pretext of employment and then involved them in inter-state hawala racket, mainly involving West Bengal and Jharkhand.
These Bangladeshi women were also given fake documents like Aadhar cards with Hindu names. Sources said some of these Bangladeshi women managed to escape to Ranchi and lodged a complaint at a local police station there.
Since hawala business falls under the ambit of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the ED took over the case suo motu after filing an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR). Preliminary investigation revealed that a part of the money received through Hawala was also invested in the transportation business.
–IANS
PSK/AKJ
