ED Conducts Multi-State Raids in ₹50 Crore Human Hair Export Case Linked to Nagaland Firms

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted multi-state raids on seven premises linked to Nagaland-based Imsong Global Suppliers, uncovering evidence in an alleged ₹50-crore foreign exchange fraud centred on fictitious exports of human hair. Searches were carried out simultaneously in Dimapur and Guwahati (one location each) and three sites in Chennai, with the agency seizing digital devices, bank records, and documents that allegedly show the company received overseas remittances without delivering any goods.

Investigators suspect the firm, operating from a modest commercial complex in Dimapur’s Duncan Basti area, was used as a conduit to route illicit funds abroad under the guise of human-hair exports to buyers in Tunisia and Italy. Sources told reporters that procuring and processing human hair on a commercial scale is virtually nonexistent in Nagaland, making the trade “highly uncommon and commercially unviable” in the region. Despite claiming exports worth tens of crores, the company repeatedly failed to submit mandatory shipping bills, bills of lading, or realisation certificates to authorised banks within the 180-day FEMA deadline.

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Preliminary ED analysis of bank statements revealed that between 2022 and 2025, Imsong Global Suppliers received at least ₹48.7 crore from two overseas entities, yet customs records show zero human-hair consignments leaving any Indian port under the firm’s name. Digital forensics recovered during the raids reportedly include WhatsApp chats negotiating “100% advance payment” against fake invoices and instructions to delete export-related folders. The agency has frozen three bank accounts holding ₹2.9 crore and issued summons to the company’s director for questioning next week.

The case highlights a growing trend of Northeast shell companies being exploited for trade-based money laundering, especially after the ED’s Guwahati zonal office intensified scrutiny of unusual export declarations from landlocked states. Similar raids in Manipur and Meghalaya earlier this year had exposed fake areca nut and timber export rackets worth over ₹200 crore. The ED has registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and expects to file a chargesheet by January 2026, with sources indicating the proceeds may have funded hawala networks and overseas real estate purchases.

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