File photo of Enforcement Directorate.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday (November 7, 2025) conducted raids across multiple locations in West Bengal in relation to a money laundering case involving human trafficking and sex work operated through dance bars and bar-cum-restaurants across the State.
According to the ED, “the investigation has revealed that the accused persons are involved in exploitation of vulnerable women through false promises of employment and coercion into prostitution and thereby generating substantial illicit proceeds of crime.”
The ED officials have identified three primary suspects and their associates in relation to this crime. Jagjit Singh, Ajmal Siddiqui, Bishnu Mundra, and their associates are being investigated after multiple FIRs were registered under various sections of the IPC, 1860, Arms Act, 1959 and Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, 1986 which constitute scheduled offences under PMLA, 2002 and charge sheets filed by the West Bengal Police.
Investigation revealed that the trafficking racket was being run through bar-cum-restaurants primarily owned by the three men accused in this case.
“These illicit funds, acquired in cash (amounting to several crores) are being laundered through multiple companies under their control. During the searches, cash worth over ₹1.01 crore and digital devices have been seized along with various property documents,” an official statement from the ED said on Saturday (November 8). Two high-end luxury vehicles, including a Land Rover Defender and a Jaguar, have also been seized in this case. A number of bank accounts linked to this trafficking racket have also been identified. The investigation is ongoing, officials said.
At least eight premises in Bidhannagar (North 24 Parganas district), Kolkata and Siliguri were raided by the federal agency on Friday (November 7).
Plastic notes being used as currency for payments linked to the immoral trafficking activities were also recovered from the dance bar premises.
Published – November 09, 2025 01:35 am IST
