Agartala: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Agartala Sub-Zonal Office, has unearthed a massive money laundering racket allegedly involving Tripura-based fraudster Utpal Kumar Chowdhury.
Chowdhury is accused of cheating individuals and institutions across multiple states by impersonating senior government officials and creating fake entities resembling government departments and PSUs.
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According to an ED press release issued on Wednesday, search operations were conducted on August 26 in Tripura, Delhi, Haryana and West Bengal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with the case against Chowdhury.
The investigation was initiated based on multiple FIRs lodged by West Bengal Police.
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The ED revealed that Chowdhury had set up a web of fake concerns with names closely resembling reputed government organisations and PSUs, such as the Directorate of Higher Education Tripura, Bridge and Roof Company, and Directorate of Apparel Council of India.
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Using these entities, he allegedly duped people into investing money on false assurances of securing government contracts.
Projecting himself as a senior officer of the Directorate of Higher Education, Chowdhury is said to have cheated several educational institutions by promising to send students from Tripura and also lured individuals with fraudulent promises of mid-day meal tenders.
Investigators also found that Chowdhury fraudulently took over the control of an NGO, Chaltakhali Swamiji Seva Sangha, registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, and used its bank accounts to launder money. Preliminary findings suggest more than Rs 200 crore were laundered through this NGO to different entities in Haryana, Delhi and Kolkata, under the cover of a bogus rubber trade. The purported rubber transactions existed only on paper, with no evidence of actual sale, purchase, or transportation of goods.
The ED further alleged that Chowdhury enjoyed close proximity with senior officers of the Tripura government, who introduced him as a high-ranking official to businessmen. Through these connections, he collected large sums of money, some of which were allegedly paid to those officials.
During the searches, the agency seized incriminating digital and physical evidence, including fake identity cards, stamps of several Tripura government departments, and seals of PSUs. Cash amounting to Rs 7 lakh was recovered, and bank accounts with a balance of around Rs 60 lakh were frozen. The ED also found documents suggesting Chowdhury had invested in real estate and land across Tripura.
Chowdhury is currently lodged in a Haryana jail. The ED said further investigation into the money trail and possible involvement of government officials is underway.