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The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Kolkata Zonal Office, has filed a prosecution complaint against a Pakistani national, Ajad Mallik alias Ahammed Hossain Azad alias Azad Hossain, for multiple offences including money laundering, identity fraud, and operating a hawala racket facilitating illegal cross-border remittances. The complaint was filed before the Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Kolkata, on June 13. The court has issued a pre-cognizance notice to the accused and scheduled a hearing.“Ajad Mallik was found involved in making Indian passport and other documents through fraudulent means for illegal immigrants in lieu of money,” an official statement from the ED stated on June 16.Investigators recovered a 1994 Pakistani driving licence from his mobile device bearing his photograph and the name “Azad Hossain,” with a permanent address in Pakistan. To conceal his true identity, he went by the alias “Ajad Mallik”. According to officials, he possessed multiple fake Indian documents, including Aadhaar card, PAN card, driving licence, voter ID, and passport, all made using forged and fabricated papers.ED officials initiated the investigation based on an FIR registered by the West Bengal Police under Sections 14 and 14A of the Foreigners Act, 1946, against Ajad Mallik and other unknown individuals for violations of the Act. Following a search conducted on June 15, it was initially suspected that the accused may be a Bangladeshi national; however, subsequent findings confirmed that he is a Pakistani national residing in India without valid documents.He was allegedly part of a hawala network that enabled illegal cross-border remittances between India and Bangladesh, collecting payments in cash and through UPI, and transferring the equivalent amounts to individuals in Bangladesh via Bkash, a mobile financial service in that country.“He was actively involved in facilitating the preparation of visas and passports for Bangladeshi nationals seeking to travel to foreign countries such as Dubai, Cambodia, and Malaysia,” the ED statement further noted. He also played an active role in the operations of multiple fraudulent forex dealers (FFMCs) based in Kolkata, which allowed him to deal in currencies from various countries. Published - June 16, 2025 04:48 pm IST
