ED books 'conman' who cheated people using links with senior Tripura govt officials

New Delhi, Aug 27 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized fake seals and ID of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Tripura government and some public sector undertakings (PSUs) during searches in a money laundering case against a jailed man who "cheated" businessmen due to his "proximity" to senior government officials posted in Agartala.

The agency said a probe found that "large sums" of money were paid to such senior Tripura government officers.

The federal probe agency raided multiple locations in Tripura, Delhi, Haryana and West Bengal on Tuesday in the case against Utpal Kumar Chowdhury of Tripura, according to an ED statement issued on Wednesday.

Chowdhury is currently lodged in a jail in Haryana following his arrest by the state police there.

"Utpal Kumar Chowdhury had close proximity with senior officer(s) of the government of Tripura who used to introduce him as an officer of high rank to various businessmen," the ED said.

Through such acquaintances, it said, Chowdhury cheated the businessmen by falsely promising to get them various government contracts, it claimed.

The agency said it has seized "incriminating" digital and physical evidence, stamps of various departments of the Tripura government like Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Department, Directorate of Higher Education, Directorate of Higher Education Elementary School, some PSUs and fake IDs of the MHA, Government of India.

A picture shared by the ED of a fake MHA ID card of Chowdhury showed him as a 'Programme Administrator' in the ministry with an office on Jai Singh Road in central Delhi.

The agency said it seized Rs 7 lakh in cash and froze bank accounts having deposits of about Rs 60 lakh, it said.

"Incriminating evidence has been found with regard to investment in real estate and lands in various places of Tripura," according to the agency.

The money laundering case against Chowdhury stems from an FIR of the West Bengal Police. It is alleged that he had set up a web of entities/concerns where the names resembled government or PSU entities like the Directorate of Higher Education Tripura, Bridge and Roof Company and the Directorate of Apparel Council of India.

The accused, by incorporating company names similar to or resembling reputed government entities, induced the public to invest money in such "duplicate" concerns, it said.

Chowdhury also "impersonated" a high-ranking officer of the Government of India and "cheated" various persons.

Giving an example, the ED said, the accused projected himself as the head of the Directorate of Higher Education of Tripura and "cheated" many educational institutes on the promise of sending students to their institutes from Tripura.

He also "cheated" many individuals on the false promise of giving tenders of mid-day meals in various institutes under the Directorate of Higher Education of Tripura, it said.

The ED said the man "took over" the control of an NGO named Chaltakhali Swamiji Seva Sangha, registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), and opened its bank account to "launder" the money of various persons.

"Primary investigation reveals that more than Rs 200 crore has been laundered through this NGO to different entities located in Haryana, Kolkata and Delhi under the facade of a bogus business of rubber..." "The rubber business shown in Tripura by Chowdhury and his accomplices in various states was found to be bogus as sale or purchase of rubber was shown only on papers.

"The said NGO was utilised to give (hawala) entries and in many instances huge amounts have been withdrawn in cash after laundering the proceeds," the ED said. PTI NES KSS KSS