West Bengal CID discovers international money laundering racket’s Pakistan link

KOLKATA: Almost over a year after the Bengal CID had busted an international money laundering racket duping people with fake lottery scheme in the state, the investigating agency informed the Calcutta High Court that the accused had transferred the money to Pakistan, using hawala routes, and brought in fake currency to the state in return.
The case details emerged last week after the prime accused, Touhid Alam, who was arrested along with 18 others last year, tried to take advantage of the Covid fears and moved Calcutta High Court, seeking bail. The CID opposed the bail plea through public prosecutor Saswata Gopal Mukherjee. On hearing both the sides, the court dismissed Alam’s bail plea.
“In my submission, I laid out the modus operandi of the gang. Many people across the state got calls and WhstApp texts from phone numbers starting with +92 or 0092 — the international calling code that belongs to Pakistan,” said Mukherjee.