The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Agartala Sub-Zonal Office, has made a significant breakthrough in a money laundering case involving Utpal Kumar Chowdhury, seizing cash worth Rs 7 lakh and freezing bank accounts containing around Rs 60 lakh during search operations carried out on August 26 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The searches were conducted at multiple locations in Tripura, Delhi, Haryana, and West Bengal as part of an ongoing investigation against Utpal Kumar Chowdhury. The ED revealed that they initiated the investigation based on multiple FIRs filed by the West Bengal Police against Chowdhury.
According to a press statement released by the ED, their investigation uncovered that Chowdhury had established a network of entities and businesses with names resembling government or PSU entities, such as Directorate of Higher Education Tripura, Bridge and Roof Company, and Directorate of Apparel Council of India. By using names similar to reputable government entities, Chowdhury allegedly deceived the public into investing money in these fraudulent concerns.
The press statement mentioned that Chowdhury posed as a high-ranking government official and duped numerous individuals and organizations by promising government contracts. He impersonated as the head of the Directorate of Higher Education of Tripura and swindled educational institutes and individuals by falsely claiming to send students to their institutions or secure tenders for mid-day meal programs.
Furthermore, Chowdhury illicitly took control of an NGO named M/s Chaltakhali Swamiji Seva Sangha registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act and used its bank account to launder money from various sources. The ED investigation revealed a complex web of transactions through the NGO’s bank accounts, through which more than Rs 200 crore were laundered to entities in Haryana, Kolkata, and Delhi under the guise of a fake rubber business.
The ED also uncovered Chowdhury’s close ties with senior government officials in Tripura, who introduced him as a high-ranking officer to businessmen. Through these connections, Chowdhury reportedly defrauded businessmen by promising them government contracts. The investigation found that substantial sums of money were paid to these senior government officials.
During the search operation, the ED seized incriminating digital and physical evidence, including stamps of various departments of the Government of Tripura and fake IDs of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Additionally, Rs 7 lakh in cash was confiscated, and bank accounts totaling approximately Rs 60 lakh were frozen. Evidence of investments in real estate and land in various locations in Tripura was also uncovered.
Currently, Utpal Kumar Chowdhury is in custody in Haryana Jail, and further investigation into the case is ongoing. The ED emphasized that the case highlights the importance of combating money laundering and financial fraud to protect the interests of the public and maintain the integrity of the financial system.
