{"id":1398,"date":"2025-11-06T05:34:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T05:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/?p=1398"},"modified":"2025-11-06T05:40:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T05:40:55","slug":"fake-passport-scam-businessmans-900-bangkok-trips-exposed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2025\/11\/06\/fake-passport-scam-businessmans-900-bangkok-trips-exposed\/","title":{"rendered":"Fake Passport Scam: Businessman\u2019s 900 Bangkok Trips Exposed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<h2 data-start=\"91\" data-end=\"392\"><em>The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its investigation into a sprawling fake passport racket operating out of West Bengal, uncovering a shocking revelation \u2014 a businessman from Khardah in North 24 Parganas allegedly travelled to Bangkok nearly 900 times over the past decade.<\/em><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"394\" data-end=\"648\">According to officials, the businessman, identified as <strong data-start=\"449\" data-end=\"464\">Vinod Gupta<\/strong>, is under the scanner for his frequent international trips, which investigators suspect may be linked to <strong data-start=\"570\" data-end=\"611\">illegal foreign exchange transactions<\/strong> and the <strong data-start=\"620\" data-end=\"645\">fake passport network<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"650\" data-end=\"690\"><strong data-start=\"654\" data-end=\"690\">ED Tracks Unusual Travel Pattern<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"691\" data-end=\"1128\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2025\/10\/17\/punjab-dig-arrested-in-bribery-case-inr-5-crore-cash-luxury-cars-seized\/\">ED (Enforcement Directorate) officials<\/a> said Gupta\u2019s pattern of travel \u2014 often twice a week to Bangkok \u2014 raised red flags. During a raid at his residence in the Narmada Awas Apartment on BT Road near Khardah Bazar, investigators seized several &#8216;vital and suspicious&#8217; documents. \u201c<em>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,<\/em>\u201d an official told PTI.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1130\" data-end=\"1532\">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\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2025\/10\/13\/delhi-court-frames-charges-against-lalu-clan-in-irctc-hotel-scam-case\/\">financial records and foreign exchange dealings<\/a> are being closely examined, and he may soon be summoned for further interrogation.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"1534\" data-end=\"1572\"><strong data-start=\"1538\" data-end=\"1572\">Links to Fake Passport Network<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"1573\" data-end=\"2233\">The fake passport investigation took a new turn in <strong data-start=\"1624\" data-end=\"1640\">October 2025<\/strong> when the <a href=\"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2025\/10\/17\/punjab-dig-arrested-in-bribery-case-inr-5-crore-cash-luxury-cars-seized\/\">ED<\/a> arrested <strong data-start=\"1662\" data-end=\"1677\">Azad Mallik<\/strong>, 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<a href=\"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2025\/10\/03\/india-china-direct-flights-resume-from-oct-26-2025-after-4-years\/\"> Shibpur in Nadia.<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1573\" data-end=\"2233\">Officials said that Gupta\u2019s name surfaced during Halder\u2019s questioning. \u201c<em>It appears that money earned from the fake passport racket was routed through <strong data-start=\"2145\" data-end=\"2171\">forex trading channels<\/strong>, which eventually led us to Gupta<\/em>,\u201d an ED officer revealed.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"2235\" data-end=\"2268\"><strong data-start=\"2239\" data-end=\"2268\">Wider Crackdown in Bengal<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"2269\" data-end=\"2615\">The ED has conducted multiple raids in recent weeks, including one at an <strong data-start=\"2342\" data-end=\"2380\">online passport application <\/strong>centre near the <a href=\"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2025\/10\/03\/india-china-direct-flights-resume-from-oct-26-2025-after-4-years\/\">Passport Seva Kendra in Kolkata<\/a>, suspected to be a hub for forging documents. Investigators believe these centres may have played a crucial role in facilitating the <strong data-start=\"2559\" data-end=\"2589\">creation of fake passports<\/strong> for illegal immigrants.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"2898\" data-end=\"2952\"><strong data-start=\"2902\" data-end=\"2952\">Pakistan Connection and Money Laundering Angle<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"2953\" data-end=\"3314\">The probe into the fake passport racket \u2014 which began with the <a href=\"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2025\/05\/20\/pakistans-spy-game-exposed-indian-police-arrests-suspects\/\">West Bengal Police last year<\/a> \u2014 was later taken over by the ED due to the money laundering aspects of the case.\u00a0The state police had already filed a charge sheet naming 130 individuals, including 120 illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators, and issued lookout notices against them.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"3641\" data-end=\"3664\"><strong data-start=\"3645\" data-end=\"3664\">ED\u2019s Next Steps<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"3665\" data-end=\"3982\">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\u2019s international links. Officials believe the Bangkok trips might have been used to move funds or establish offshore connections.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3984\" data-end=\"4202\">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 <strong data-start=\"4133\" data-end=\"4183\">West Bengal\u2019s largest passport and <a href=\"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2025\/10\/13\/delhi-court-frames-charges-against-lalu-clan-in-irctc-hotel-scam-case\/\">forex scams<\/a><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2025\/10\/13\/delhi-court-frames-charges-against-lalu-clan-in-irctc-hotel-scam-case\/\"> in recent years.<\/a><\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its investigation into a sprawling fake passport racket operating out of West Bengal, uncovering a shocking revelation \u2014 a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1399,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[792,781,789,794,803,784,790,800,783,798,786,801,785,791,804,780,795,788,799,793,796,787,802,797,782],"class_list":["post-1398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-azad-mallik-pakistani-national","tag-bengal-fake-passport-case","tag-canada-fake-passport-news","tag-chakdaha-ed-raid","tag-ed-arrests-bengal-2025","tag-ed-bangkok-trips-case","tag-ed-fake-passport-case-kolkata","tag-ed-investigation-2025","tag-ed-probe-west-bengal","tag-ed-raids-kolkata-passport-office","tag-enforcement-directorate-raids","tag-fake-passport-news-india","tag-fake-passport-racket-bengal","tag-fake-passport-racket-india","tag-fake-passport-racket-india-bangladesh-border","tag-fake-passport-scam","tag-fake-visa-racket-bengal","tag-forex-trading-scam","tag-illegal-forex-trading-india","tag-indubhushan-halder-arrest","tag-money-laundering-west-bengal","tag-north-24-parganas-businessman","tag-north-24-parganas-fake-passport-case","tag-passport-corruption-case-kolkata","tag-vinod-gupta-ed-investigation","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1398"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1398\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1402,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1398\/revisions\/1402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}