Fake passport scam: ED probes into Bengal bizman's 900 trips to Bangkok

Kolkata, Nov 5 (PTI) Kolkata, Nov 5 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing into a fake passport scam, turned its attention to the foreign travels of a businessman in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, an official said.

The businessman from Khardah area, identified as Vinod Gupta, allegedly travelled to Bangkok nearly 900 times over the past 10 years, the official added.

"We are now probing into the reason behind such frequent visits abroad. The trips are suspected to be linked to a wider network involved in the fake passport racket," the official told PTI.

As part of the investigation, ED teams conducted searches across several locations in Nadia district, as well as in Kolkata, on Monday.

Following leads from those operations, investigators reached Gupta's residence in Khardah on Tuesday and conducted an extensive search that continued till late at night, the official said.

Several documents were seized during the raid, and officials claim to have found "vital and suspicious" information, he added.

During questioning, Gupta reportedly told investigators that he runs a spice trading business, and his frequent trips to Bangkok were related to that, the official said.

"Gupta is also involved in foreign exchange (forex) trading, and investigators are examining whether his Bangkok visits were linked to illegal forex transactions," the official said, adding that Gupta's financial dealings appeared suspicious.

"He might be summoned for further questioning," the official added.

The fake passport case took a new turn in October when the ED arrested Azad Mallik, a Pakistani national, in connection with the racket.

Based on his interrogation, ED officials conducted searches across several areas near the Gede border in North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts.

Another accused, Indubhushan Halder, was arrested from Shibpur in Nadia soon after.

"We obtained Gupta's name after interrogating Halder. It appears that the money earned by Halder and others through the fake passport racket was invested in forex trading, which eventually led investigators to Gupta," the official said. PTI SCH NN