Hyderabad: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Hyderabad Zonal Office, has provisionally attached assets worth Rs 1.90 lakh (approx.) under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with two cases of immoral trafficking rackets operated by Bangladeshi nationals in and around Hyderabad.
The ED initiated an investigation based on two FIRs registered by the Telangana Police, which were subsequently re-registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Hyderabad. Telangana police conducted raids at two brothels on the outskirts of Hyderabad and busted an organized syndicate of prostitution and immoral trafficking operated by Bangladeshi nationals, leading to the registration of FIRs at Chatrinaka and Pahadishareef police stations.
The NIA’s investigation in Hyderabad revealed that most of the arrested accused were Bangladeshi nationals who had allegedly entered India illegally without valid travel documents. They had obtained fake/forged Indian identity documents and, despite arrests in other FIRs, continued engaging in prostitution and illegal trafficking of Bangladeshi girls. The victims were allegedly trafficked into India with the help of various agents active on the Indo-Bangladesh border through illegal crossings in West Bengal. They were brought under the false pretext of better-paying jobs in beauty parlors, tailor shops, steel factories, as housemaids, etc., but were later forced into the flesh trade. Following the investigation and charge sheet filed by the predicate agency, the NIA Special Court awarded life imprisonment to all six accused in one of the FIRs.
The ED investigation revealed that the accused were running brothels in various locations in and around Hyderabad and were also sending victimized girls to other brothels and agents on a commission basis. Using fake/forged Indian identity documents, the accused opened several bank accounts and online wallets for their illegal activities. To traffic Bangladeshi girls and others, they paid around four to five thousand rupees per person to agents/middlemen near the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal. This amount was shared among various parties involved in the trafficking on both sides of the border.
The ED’s investigation further revealed that payments for trafficking Bangladeshi girls were made through banking channels and cash transactions to the agents. To conceal the money trail, the accused used money transfer services of various financial intermediaries, sharing only their mobile numbers for remittances. To evade detection, transactions were systematically structured into small payments below regulatory threshold limits. A substantial portion of the proceeds of crime (POC) was found to be remitted to multiple persons near the Bangladesh border in West Bengal. These individuals withdrew the money in cash and handed it over to other hawala agents, who ensured the remittance reached the families of the accused and the victims in Bangladesh, sometimes using bKash (the mobile financial service of Bangladesh Bank).
The assets attached by the ED include balance amounts in Paytm wallets and bank accounts, as well as immovable property belonging to one of the accused, Ruhul Amin Dhali, who was identified as one of the most prominent agents involved in the illegal trafficking of Bangladeshi girls into India.
Further investigation is ongoing.
