The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday raided multiple locations in poll-bound Jharkhand and neighbouring West Bengal, intensifying its ongoing crackdown into the alleged illegal infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals.
The coordinated searches, which took place in 17 locations in two states, are part of a money laundering probe linked to the trafficking of Bangladeshi women into Jharkhand. The locations were raided by the Ranchi office of the federal probe agency, a day before the first phase of polling in Jharkhand.
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were positioned outside a hotel on Bariatu Road and a resort in Ranchi while ED teams conducted searches inside. The teams were reportedly looking for documents, ledger entries, and financial records.
During the raids, the probe agency’s teams recovered a range of incriminating items, including fake Aadhaar cards, counterfeit passports, illegal firearms, property documents, cash, jewellery, printing paper and machines and blank proformas used for forging Aadhaar.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had in September 2024 filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to probe the instance of alleged infiltration and trafficking of some Bangladeshi women into Jharkhand leading to the generation of alleged slush funds.
The probe revealed that Bangladeshi women were lured into India with the promise of jobs but were subsequently forced into trafficking networks and hawala operations.
The traffickers provided them with forged Aadhaar cards, often using Hindu names, to conceal their identities and evade law enforcement.
The probe agency had earlier said that it will investigate the “entire gamut” of infiltration from across the eastern borders, including Bangladesh, into Jharkhand, including in the tribal districts of Santhal Pargana and Kolhan.
The timing of ED raids has added to the political charge around the upcoming assembly elections in Jharkhand, with the first phase of voting slated for 43 constituencies on Wednesday, while the second for 38 seats will be held on November 20.
The issue of Bangladeshi infiltration has been a point of contention, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders accusing the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government of aiding such illegal practices, leading to the altering of the demographic landscape of the tribal-dominated areas.
