The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided a carpenter’s home in Chakdaha, West Bengal, on Monday. The search was part of a wider investigation into a fake‑passport racket that has already led to the arrest of a Pakistani national, Azad Mallik.
The house of Biplab Sarkar, a local carpenter, was found to be a hub in the passport scam. ED officials say Sarkar was named during the interrogation of Indu Bhushan Halder, a middleman who helped foreigners obtain Indian passports for money. Many of Sarkar’s relatives are also under scrutiny because they may have helped run the scheme.
ED agents reached Parari village in Chakdaha early in the morning and entered Sarkar’s clay‑walled home. They seized a passport and began questioning him and his family. Investigators are now tracing his bank transactions and travel history, as well as reviewing passports held by his brother and other relatives. Sarkar’s mobile phone was also searched for clues.
The fake‑passport case began last year when West Bengal police started probing a cyber‑cafe run by Indu Bhushan. That outlet is suspected of processing as many as 350 bogus passport applications. The ED took over the probe in March, citing money‑laundering risks.
In April the ED made a breakthrough by arresting Azad Mallik, who was connected to the same network. Mallik was also accused of arranging fake visas for other foreign nationals. Police now have a charge sheet naming 130 people, mostly illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators. A lookout notice has been issued against the suspects.
The ED’s investigation into the West Bengal passport racket illustrates growing concerns over cross‑border fraud and the flow of illicit funds across the India‑Bangladesh frontier.
Source: ianslive
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