ED conducts raids in Jharkhand and Bengal over money laundering linked to Bangladeshi infiltration

In a money laundering investigation linked to the suspected illegal infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided several locations in the poll-bound states of Jharkhand and West Bengal on Nov 12.

The ED's Jharkhand office conducted raids at 17 locations across the two neighboring states.

The first round of voting for the Jharkhand Assembly elections is set to begin on Nov 13, with the next phase scheduled for Nov 20.

Six assembly seats in Bengal will also hold by-elections on Nov 13.

The raids were part of an investigation into the infiltration and trafficking of Bangladeshi women into Jharkhand, which allegedly led to the generation of illicit funds. The ED had filed a case in Sep under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The case was triggered by a complaint from a woman who claimed to have used touts to enter the country illegally across the India-Bangladesh border in search of work.

She also named five or six other women who were apprehended during a raid at a nearby resort.

The woman who filed the complaint had managed to escape from a similar institution before reaching the police station.

It was also discovered that one of these women had a "fake" Aadhaar card.

During the recent election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders accused the state government of supporting such infiltration, which they claimed was altering the demographics of the tribal-dominated regions of Santhal Pargana and Kolhan.

Modi criticized the Jharkhand government's failure to address the infiltration issue, in response to a High Court order calling for the establishment of an unbiased panel to investigate the influx of Bangladeshi immigrants.

The first round of assembly elections will be held on Nov 13 in 43 constituencies, with the second round taking place on Nov 20 for 38 seats.

In response to a FIR filed by Jharkhand Police in June at the Bariyatu police station in Ranchi, the state capital, the central agency submitted an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under several provisions of the PMLA.