The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its investigation into a sprawling fake passport racket operating out of West Bengal, uncovering a shocking revelation — a businessman from Khardah in North 24 Parganas allegedly travelled to Bangkok nearly 900 times over the past decade.
According to officials, the businessman, identified as Vinod Gupta, is under the scanner for his frequent international trips, which investigators suspect may be linked to illegal foreign exchange transactions and the fake passport network.
ED Tracks Unusual Travel Pattern
ED (Enforcement Directorate) officials said Gupta’s pattern of travel — often twice a week to Bangkok — raised red flags. During a raid at his residence in the Narmada Awas Apartment on BT Road near Khardah Bazar, investigators seized several ‘vital and suspicious’ documents. “We are probing the reason behind such frequent trips abroad. The visits appear to be tied to a wider network involved in the fake passport racket,” an official told PTI.
During questioning, Gupta reportedly claimed that he runs a spice trading and forex business, and his visits were related to that. However, the ED suspects that his operations may involve unauthorized currency exchange activities. Officials said Gupta’s financial records and foreign exchange dealings are being closely examined, and he may soon be summoned for further interrogation.
Links to Fake Passport Network
The fake passport investigation took a new turn in October 2025 when the ED arrested Azad Mallik, a Pakistani national, for his role in the racket. Based on his interrogation, investigators conducted searches near the Parganas and Nadia districts, where several middlemen were identified. Subsequently, another suspect, Indubhushan Halder, was arrested from Shibpur in Nadia.
Officials said that Gupta’s name surfaced during Halder’s questioning. “It appears that money earned from the fake passport racket was routed through forex trading channels, which eventually led us to Gupta,” an ED officer revealed.
Wider Crackdown in Bengal
The ED has conducted multiple raids in recent weeks, including one at an online passport application centre near the Passport Seva Kendra in Kolkata, suspected to be a hub for forging documents. Investigators believe these centres may have played a crucial role in facilitating the creation of fake passports for illegal immigrants.
Pakistan Connection and Money Laundering Angle
The probe into the fake passport racket — which began with the West Bengal Police last year — was later taken over by the ED due to the money laundering aspects of the case. The state police had already filed a charge sheet naming 130 individuals, including 120 illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators, and issued lookout notices against them.
ED’s Next Steps
With evidence pointing to cross-border financial operations and possible foreign exchange violations, the ED is now focusing on tracing the money trail and uncovering the network’s international links. Officials believe the Bangkok trips might have been used to move funds or establish offshore connections.
The investigation is ongoing, with more raids and summonses expected in the coming weeks as the ED tightens its probe into what appears to be one of West Bengal’s largest passport and forex scams in recent years.
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