Daijiworld Media Network - Guwahati
Guwahati, Oct 5: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said it has unearthed a well-organised, multi-layered syndicate allegedly involved in smuggling foreign-origin areca nut into India through the India-Myanmar border and laundering the proceeds, with bank credits exceeding Rs 1,000 crore identified in accounts linked to the network.
According to officials, the ED's Guwahati Zonal Office conducted searches on October 1 at 16 premises in Guwahati, Siliguri, Bagdogra, Phansidewa and Cooch Behar under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The investigation was initiated on the basis of 11 FIRs registered by the Assam Police and West Bengal Police under various sections of the IPC/BNS and the NDPS Act against persons allegedly involved in the smuggling, transportation and sale of Indonesian, Thai and Burmese-origin areca nut.
The ED said the consignments were brought into Mizoram through Myanmar before being transported to West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and other states using forged GST invoices, e-way bills and transport documents.
According to the agency, dried areca nut was transported across the Tiau River at Zokhawthar in small quantities, bypassing the Land Customs Station.
Agents on the Myanmar side allegedly sold the consignments to front firms in India. These firms were allegedly registered in the names of local residents of Champhai who had no actual stake in the business, while their GST registrations and bank accounts were allegedly controlled by persons based in Silchar, Assam.
The consignments were allegedly moved from Silchar to godowns around Guwahati, where they were re-bagged and re-documented before being transported through the Siliguri corridor to states where the areca nut was consumed.
The ED said the alleged operation involved Bikaner Assam Roadlines India Ltd and associated concerns allegedly controlled by Sushil Daga. Their bank accounts showed credits running into several hundred crores from areca nut traders.
The agency also alleged that protection money was collected from transporters to ensure the safe passage of smuggled consignments.
Searches at the premises of DNG Biotech Pvt Ltd, Jai Karni Tradings Pvt Ltd, Purvottar Agro Pvt Ltd, N R Associates and others resulted in the seizure of approximately Rs 95 lakh in unaccounted cash, along with digital devices, property and investment documents and bank records.
Fixed deposits worth approximately Rs 85 lakh were also frozen during the searches.
The ED said further investigation into the alleged syndicate and its financial transactions is underway.