ED Seizes Rs 1 Crore Cash, Jaguar and Land Rover from Bengal Human Trafficking Ring Operators
ED raids West Bengal trafficking racket, seizes Rs 1 crore cash and luxury cars in PMLA probe.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted extensive raids across West Bengal on November 7, seizing over Rs 1.01 crore in cash, two luxury vehicles—a Land Rover Defender and a Jaguar—and digital evidence as part of a probe into an organised human trafficking and prostitution racket. The raids targeted at least eight premises in Bidhannagar, Kolkata, and Siliguri under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Officials revealed that the accused—identified as Jagjit Singh, Ajmal Siddiqui, Bishnu Mundra, and associates—operated a sophisticated network exploiting vulnerable women through lures of false employment and coercion into prostitution. Large amounts of illicit cash were generated within bar-cum-restaurant establishments, and "plastic notes" were reportedly used as a surrogate currency for trafficking-related payments at dance bars.
The money laundering investigation uncovered multiple bank accounts controlled by the accused and a complex web of companies used to circulate and disguise the origins of illegally obtained funds. Several FIRs and chargesheets had been filed earlier by state police across relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Arms Act, and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, now falling under the ambit of the PMLA probe.
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The ED’s ongoing investigation aims to map the complete money trail and explore any international connections linked to the racket, which represents one of the largest crackdowns in the state on organised trafficking and financial crimes.
This operation highlights the growing efforts by federal agencies to dismantle criminal syndicates exploiting women and laundering proceeds through intricate financial schemes, affirming a zero-tolerance approach towards human trafficking and associated money laundering activities in India.
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