ED Conducts Raid in West Bengal Over Fake Passport Investigation

Enforcement Directorate's Actions in Nadia District

Kolkata, Nov 3: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) executed a raid on Monday at the residence of a carpenter named Biplab Sarkar in Chakdaha, located in West Bengal's Nadia district, as part of an ongoing investigation into a fraudulent passport case.

According to sources from the ED, the operation targeted Sarkar, who is believed to have acted as an agent in the illicit issuance of passports. This raid is linked to the case of Azad Mallik, a Pakistani national apprehended earlier this year.

During the interrogation of Indu Bhushan Halder, a middleman arrested last month for facilitating the acquisition of Indian identity documents for foreigners in exchange for money, Sarkar's name emerged. Additionally, family members of Sarkar are also being scrutinized for their potential involvement in similar activities.

The ED team arrived at Parari village in Chakdaha early in the morning and proceeded directly to Sarkar's modest clay home, where the search commenced immediately. The team also seized a passport during the operation.

The investigation aims to uncover the methods used to produce fake passports and track the travel history of individuals involved. Family members of Sarkar were also interrogated.

It is important to note that Azad Mallik was arrested earlier this year in connection with the fake passport case, prompting the ED to conduct searches in various locations near the India-Bangladesh border in the North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts.

Monday's raid was initiated based on similar intelligence. Last month, Indu Bhushan Haldar was apprehended in Nadia for passport forgery, having renewed Mallik's Indian passport.

Reports indicate that Biplab Sarkar is connected to Indu Bhushan, with approximately 350 fraudulent passport applications reportedly processed from Indu Bhushan's cyber cafe in Chakdaha.

In light of this information, the ED targeted Sarkar's residence. Although he is employed as a carpenter, investigators are exploring potential links to Bangladesh, as Indu Bhushan was also known to produce fake identity cards in various instances.

The investigation includes a thorough examination of Sarkar's travel history and bank transactions. Officials are also reviewing the documents and passports belonging to his brother, Bipul Sarkar, and other family members, alongside their travel records. Additionally, Sarkar's mobile device is under scrutiny.

The inquiry into the fake Indian passport network operating from West Bengal began with local police at the end of last year, leading to multiple arrests.

Subsequently, the ED took over the investigation due to the financial fraud implications involved.

In April, the ED made significant progress by capturing Azad Mallik.

Further investigations revealed that, in addition to managing hawala and fake passport operations, Mallik was also involved in arranging counterfeit visas for individuals seeking to travel abroad.

The state police have already filed a charge sheet in this case, naming 130 individuals as defendants, 120 of whom are identified as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

A lookout notice has also been issued against these individuals.