ED raids 10 locations in Assam, Delhi over Myanmar areca nut smuggling racket

New Delhi/Aizawl, Aug 6 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted search operations at 10 residential and business premises across Assam and Delhi in connection with a money laundering probe into an organised cross-border areca nut smuggling racket, the central probe agency said on Thursday.

The searches, carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, targeted premises linked to eight accused allegedly involved in smuggling areca nuts (Burmese betel nut) from Myanmar into Mizoram and their subsequent sale and distribution through a network of purchasers and financiers based in Assam and Delhi, the probe agency said in a statement.

The ED’s Aizawl Sub-Zonal Office has conducted the search operations under the PMLA on Wednesday at 10 residential and business premises linked with Jakir Hussain, Kabir Hussain, Anjan Kumar Paul, Pinku Paul, Romi Jain, Anowar Hussain, Khalil Uddin and Dipankar Deb, located in Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj (Sribhumi) districts of southern Assam and in Delhi.

The search was conducted in connection with investigation into an organised network engaged in cross-border smuggling of Areca nuts from Myanmar into Mizoram and their onward sale and distribution to purchasers/financiers based in Assam and Delhi.

The ED initiated investigation on the basis of FIR registered by the Anti-Corruption Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Imphal against unknown public servants and private persons, pursuant to directions issued by the Gauhati High Court on July 16 in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL).

The FIR/PIL alleged large-scale smuggling of Areca nuts from Myanmar into Champhai district of Mizoram, using fraudulent e-way bills and forged documents, despite owners not being GST registered.

E-way bills amounting to around Rs 86.25 crore under CGST and Rs 251.19 crore under SGST were found to have been issued during the Financial Year of 2021-22 to 2023-24, with bordering Zokhawthar in Mizoram emerging as a major transit point.

Both Champhai and Zokhawthar have huge unfenced border with Myanmar.

The statement said that the ED investigation has revealed a layered, three-tier structure used for smuggling and sale of Myanmar-origin Areca nuts.

At the first tier, Burmese suppliers handed over consignments of Areca nuts, without customs clearance, to Mizoram-based facilitators at godowns established at Champhai, near the India-Myanmar border.

These facilitators, including Lalhnemi, Zosangpuii, Zonunsanga and others arranged onward supply of the smuggled Areca nuts to a group of purchasers/financiers based in Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts of southern Assam.

Bank analysis has revealed that transactions in crores of rupees were conducted between the parties.

At the third tier, the Assam-based financiers further sold Areca nuts, or routed sale proceeds, to purchasers/financiers based outside the Northeast region.

Romi Jain, proprietor of M/s Ganpati Traders in Delhi, was found to have conducted huge transactions with Silchar and Mizoram-based entities involved in the illegal smuggling of Areca nuts.

Investigation has revealed that Myanmar-origin Areca nuts procured through this chain were ultimately supplied to buyers situated in Delhi, West Bengal (including Kolkata and Falakata), Nagpur and Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier, search action under the PMLA was conducted on June 4 at nine premises in Champhai in Mizoram, covering persons/entities engaged in procurement of smuggled Areca nuts from Burmese suppliers.

Financial analysis of the bank accounts covered during the said search, read together with statements recorded under the PMLA of the Mizoram-based facilitators, established a money trail leading to the persons at Silchar and Delhi.

During the course of the current search and recording of statements under the PMLA, several persons admitted to having remitted the said amounts to the Mizoram-based facilitators and entities towards purchase of Burmese-origin Areca nuts, corroborating the money trail already established during investigation.

The ED statement said that it also emerged that multiple bank accounts had been opened and operated in the names of persons other than the actual beneficial owners, apparently to route and layer the sale proceeds of the smuggled Areca nuts.

These persons paid Mizoram-based facilitators money for using their bank accounts and business permits, including GST registrations for Burmese-origin Areca nut trade.

They arranged for purchase of smuggled Areca nuts from Myanmar and sold them to purchasers all across the country through the businesses of Mizoram-based facilitators.

During the search operations, signed blank cheques, property documents and other incriminating documents relating to the money trail of the proceeds of crime, digital devices and mobile phones containing incriminating material were recovered and seized.

Further investigation is underway.

–IANS

sc/khz