ED takes action against Bengal infiltration case, 17 locations raided in Jharkhand, West Bengal

The Enforcement Directorate has raided 17 locations in Jharkhand and West Bengal in connection with a money laundering probe related to alleged illegal Bangladeshi infiltration.

ED conducts raids at 17 locations in Jharkhand and West Bengal The Enforcement Directorate today searched 17 locations in Jharkhand and West Bengal for alleged money laundering links from Bangladeshi people who had entered India illegally. This was a follow-up to an extensive investigation into money laundering allegedly originating from such funds. The ED has been trying to detect illegal operations related to human trafficking and generation of proceeds of crime.

According to reports, the raids were carried out in several districts of Jharkhand election district and some places in neighboring West Bengal. The operation is part of an ongoing investigation into a case related to the illegal entry of Bangladeshi nationals, particularly women, into mainland India, allegedly for human trafficking and forced labor. The ED had initiated the case under the PMLA after an investigation into human trafficking activities involving creation of slush funds.

The case came to light in September 2024, when the Enforcement Directorate filed an official case to investigate the infiltration and trafficking of Bangladeshi women in Jharkhand. The complaint filed by a Bangladeshi woman in Ranchi in June 2024 is under investigation. According to a complaint filed in June 2024, she was smuggled from Bangladesh to India with the help of touts through the India-Bangladesh border.

Allegations of human trafficking and fraud

In the complaint, the woman had accused several people of smuggling women, including herself, to India under false pretenses. Among the six women listed as suspects were several who were arrested after a raid took place at a local resort. The victim reportedly managed to escape from one such guest house and then migrated to a police station. When the police questioned them during the investigation, they found that one of the women was carrying a fake Aadhaar card.

The complaint statement revealed that the women were trafficked to India on the pretext of work but were turned into prostitution upon arrival. This is the desperate case of a larger problem of human trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable people across borders.

ED expands probe to the entire region

This investigation by the Enforcement Directorate into the human trafficking case is not limited to this case alone but is investigating a larger scheme of illegal infiltration along the borders, especially in the Santhal Pargana and Kolhan tribal districts of Jharkhand. According to ED, the investigation will cover the full scope of infiltration activities in the region from Bangladesh, which is reportedly experiencing the worst impact of such illegal networks.

BJP blames Jharkhand government

The political connotations of these raids have been enormous as allegations have been leveled against the Jharkhand government. Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have publicly called out the Jharkhand government for helping illegals enter India, claiming that this has demographic implications in the tribal-dominated regions of Santhal Pargana and Kolhan, where many expect this influx would change the local socio-political structure.

Prime Minister Yogi Adityanath followed suit, accusing the coalition for Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi infiltrators led by the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) of turning the state into a ‘dharmashala’. That is part of a wider BJP campaign against the state government ahead of next month’s assembly elections.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that in case the BJP government comes to power in Jharkhand, a committee would be formed for identifying and streamlining the elimination of infiltrators from the state. The committee will also focus on reclaiming land that would be occupied by these illegal immigrants.

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