The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Hyderabad Zonal Office, has provisionally attached assets worth ₹1.90 lakh in connection with two cases of immoral trafficking rackets operated by Bangladeshi nationals in and around Hyderabad.
The ED launched its investigation under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, based on two FIRs registered by the Telangana Police, which were later taken up by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Hyderabad.
The Telangana Police had conducted raids at two brothels on the outskirts of Hyderabad, uncovering an organised prostitution and human trafficking syndicate operated by Bangladeshi nationals. These raids led to the registration of FIRs at Chatrinaka and Pahadi Shareef police stations.
According to the NIA’s findings, most of the arrested accused were Bangladeshi nationals who had illegally entered India without valid travel documents. They had acquired fake Indian identity documents and, despite previous arrests in similar cases, continued their involvement in prostitution and illegal trafficking. The victims, Bangladeshi girls, were lured into India by agents operating along the Indo-Bangladesh border, who promised them well-paying jobs in beauty parlours, tailor shops, steel factories, and as domestic workers.
However, upon arrival, they were forced into the flesh trade. Following the investigation and chargesheet filed by the predicate agency, the NIA Special Court sentenced all six accused in one of the FIRs to life imprisonment.
The ED’s probe revealed that the accused were operating brothels across Hyderabad and also sending victimised girls to other brothels and agents on a commission basis. Using fake identity documents, they had opened multiple bank accounts and online wallets to facilitate their illegal activities. The traffickers paid ₹4,000-₹5,000 per person to agents and middlemen along the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, with the money being shared among various individuals involved in the trafficking network on both sides of the border.
Payments for trafficking were made through banking channels as well as in cash. To obscure the money trail, the accused used financial intermediaries and money transfer services, providing only mobile numbers for transactions. To avoid detection, they structured transactions into small amounts below regulatory thresholds. A significant portion of the proceeds of crime (POC) was transferred to individuals near the Bangladesh border, who withdrew the money in cash and handed it over to hawala agents. These agents ensured that the funds reached the families of the accused and the trafficked victims in Bangladesh, often using bKash, the mobile financial service of Bangladesh Bank.
The assets attached by the ED include balances in digital wallets, bank accounts, and immovable property belonging to Ruhul Amin Dhali, identified as a key agent in the trafficking of Bangladeshi girls into India. Further investigation is ongoing.
Published – March 14, 2025 12:06 pm IST
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