The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Agartala Sub-Zonal Office, has seized cash worth Rs 7 lakh and frozen bank accounts containing around ?60 lakh during search operations conducted on August 26 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The searches were carried out at multiple locations in Tripura, Delhi, Haryana, and West Bengal in connection with an ongoing investigation against Utpal Kumar Chowdhury of Tripura.
According to ED, the probe began on the basis of several FIRs filed by West Bengal Police against Chowdhury. Investigations revealed that Chowdhury had floated a web of entities with names resembling reputed government departments and PSUs such as “Directorate of Higher Education, Tripura,” “Bridge and Roof Company,” and “Directorate of Apparel Council of India.” By posing as a senior government official, he allegedly duped individuals and institutions by falsely promising government contracts, including mid-day meal tenders and student admissions.
Chowdhury also fraudulently took control of an NGO — M/s Chaltakhali Swamiji Seva Sangha, registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) — and used it to launder money. The ED’s preliminary investigation found that over ?200 crore was routed through this NGO to entities in Haryana, Kolkata, and Delhi under the guise of bogus rubber trade. The purported rubber transactions existed only on paper, with no evidence of actual transportation or sales.
During the searches, the ED seized incriminating digital and physical evidence, fake IDs of the Ministry of Home Affairs, stamps of various Tripura government departments and PSUs, and documents indicating investments in real estate and land across the state. The agency also found that Chowdhury enjoyed proximity to senior Tripura government officers, who allegedly introduced him to businessmen as a high-ranking official. Some of these officers are suspected of having received large sums of money.
Utpal Kumar Chowdhury is currently lodged in a jail in Haryana. The ED said further investigation is underway.
