6 months ago
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing into a fake passport scam, turned its attraction to the overseas travels of a businessman successful West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, an authoritative said.
The businessman from Khardah area, identified arsenic Vinod Gupta, allegedly travelled to Bangkok astir 900 times implicit the past 10 years, the authoritative added.
“We are present probing into the crushed down specified predominant visits abroad. The trips are suspected to beryllium linked to a wider web progressive successful the fake passport racket,” the authoritative told PTI.
As portion of the investigation, ED teams conducted searches crossed respective locations successful Nadia district, arsenic good arsenic successful Kolkata, connected Monday (November 3, 2025).
Following leads from those operations, investigators reached Mr. Gupta’s residence successful Khardah connected Tuesday (November 4) and conducted an extended hunt that continued till precocious astatine night, the authoritative said.
Several documents were seized during the raid, and officials assertion to person recovered “vital and suspicious” information, helium added.
During questioning, Mr. Gupta reportedly told investigators that helium runs a spice trading business, and his predominant trips to Bangkok were related to that, the authoritative said.
“Mr. Gupta is besides progressive successful overseas speech (forex) trading, and investigators are examining whether his Bangkok visits were linked to amerciable forex transactions,” the authoritative said, adding that Mr. Gupta’s fiscal dealings appeared suspicious.
“He mightiness beryllium summoned for further questioning,” the authoritative added.
The fake passport lawsuit took a caller crook successful October erstwhile the ED arrested Azad Mallik, a Pakistani national, successful transportation with the racket.
Based connected his interrogation, ED officials conducted searches crossed respective areas adjacent the Gede borderline successful North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts.
Another accused, Indubhushan Halder, was arrested from Shibpur successful Nadia soon after.
“We obtained Mr. Gupta’s sanction aft interrogating Mr. Halder. It appears that the wealth earned by Mr. Halder and others done the fake passport racket was invested successful forex trading, which yet led investigators to Mr. Gupta,” the authoritative said.
