The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday raided several places in poll-bound Jharkhand.

Ranchi:

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday raided several locations in Jharkhand, outside West Bengal, in connection with a money laundering probe linked to alleged illegal infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals, official sources said .

A total of 17 locations are covered in the two neighboring states by the Jharkhand office of the federal investigation agency.

The agency had in September filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to probe an alleged case of infiltration and trafficking of some Bangladeshi women in Jharkhand, leading to the generation of so-called slush funds.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders have accused the state government of contributing to such infiltration leading to a change in the demographic landscape of the tribal-dominated areas of Santhal Pargana and Kolhan regions during the recent election campaign.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday accused the JMM-led ruling coalition of turning Jharkhand into a ‘dharmashala’ for Rohingyas and Bangladeshi infiltrators.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday announced in Seraikela that a committee would be formed, once the BJP comes to power in Jharkhand, to identify and flush out infiltrators from the state, in more to recover the lands they seized.

The first phase of Assembly polls is scheduled for Wednesday for 43 constituencies, while the second, for 38 seats, will be held on November 20.

The ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) filed by the federal agency under various sections of the PMLA stems from a Jharkhand Police FIR lodged at Bariyatu police station in the capital of the State, Ranchi, in June.

The police FIR, lodged following the complaint of a Bangladeshi woman who allegedly infiltrated the country from the India-Bangladesh border with the help of touts to find work, named around six women accused who were arrested at following a raid on a premises. seaside resort.

The woman who filed the complaint fled from a similar guest house and went to the police station. The police also recovered a “fake” Aadhaar card from one of the women.

Police have pressed several IPC sections like 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of securities), 468 (forgery with intent to cheat), 471 (using forged document as genuine) and 34 (common intention) in the FIR.

In the complaint, he also criticized Article 12 of the Passport Act (knowingly providing any false information or suppressing any important information for the purpose of obtaining a passport or travel document) and the section 14A of the Aliens Act (sanction for entering a restricted area).

The FIR cited the complainant as saying that they were trafficked to India from Bangladesh, allegedly for the purpose of prostitution by luring them in the name of employment in beauty parlors.

Sources in the Enforcement Directorate had earlier said the agency would probe the “full gamut” of infiltration from the eastern borders, including Bangladesh, into Jharkhand, including tribal districts of Santhal Pargana and Kolhan.

Prime Minister Modi, while addressing an election rally a few months ago, accused the Jharkhand government of encouraging infiltration of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas for political vote bank purposes and criticized for its “widespread corruption”.

The Prime Minister said these infiltrators pose a significant threat to the state by changing the demographic landscape of Santhal Pargana and Kolhan regions.

PM Modi accused the JMM of “supporting infiltrators” and claimed that “illegal immigrants from the neighboring country have managed to gain influence over the ruling party in the state.” He criticized the Jharkhand government for refusing to acknowledge the problem of infiltration despite a High Court order to establish an independent committee to investigate the influx of Bangladeshi immigrants.

The Union government has informed the Jharkhand High Court that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are living in the state.

Reacting to this affidavit, JMM central spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya had said that if there was any infiltration in Jharkhand, the Union ministries of home and defense should take responsibility for it.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)