Money laundering case: 2 Bangladeshis among 4 arrested in India

India's anti-money laundering agency, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), has arrested two Bangladeshi nationals and two Indian in a money laundering case tied to illegal infiltration from Bangladesh into Jharkhand and neighbouring areas.

In a statement on its Twitter handle, the ED identified the Bangladeshi nationals as Rony Mondal and Sameer Chowdhary, and the Indian nationals as Pintu Haldar and Pinki Basu Mukherjee. The arrests took place in Kolkata, with Pinki detained today and the others yesterday.

According to the ED, the four individuals have been charged with facilitating illegal infiltration and human trafficking in India. These arrests followed extensive searches at 17 locations in Jharkhand and West Bengal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

The ED's investigation revealed that a syndicate operates widely across West Bengal and Jharkhand, using proceeds from illegal activities. The syndicate's agents assist in smuggling Bangladeshi citizens into India and provide fake documents to help them secure Indian citizenship, the ED said.

The agency also reported that mobile phones were seized during the investigation, containing chats related to monetary transactions for illegal activities, including prostitution involving trafficked girls. Documents detailing payments related to the syndicate's prostitution racket were also recovered, the ED said.