Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Agartala: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has moved against two separate criminal networks in Tripura. The agency provisionally attached assets exceeding Rs 2.17 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. These actions target an alleged government impersonation scheme and a massive illegal cricket betting syndicate.
In the first case, the Agartala Sub-Zonal Office targeted Rs 1.12 crore in bank deposits. This money connects to suspended Tripura cadre IAS officer Abhishek Chandra, accused conman Utpal Kumar Chowdhury, and a private housing firm. Chowdhury allegedly operated shell entities to scam investors. He posed as a senior Union Ministry of Home Affairs official, wielding fake identity cards to build credibility. The ED stated, "The attached assets comprise bank balances held in the names of shell entities controlled by Utpal Kumar Chowdhury, a suspended IAS officer of the Tripura cadre Abhishek Chandra, and a private housing company, representing Proceeds of Crime traced to them."
Chowdhury established fake firms using names similar to the Directorate of Higher Education, Tripura, and Bridge and Roof Co. He also seized control of the Chaltakhali Swamiji Seva Sangha trust to bait victims with bogus government tenders, mid-day meal contracts, and rubber trade profits. Investigators discovered that Chandra accepted illicit payments directly into his personal accounts. Other funds were funneled into a private housing company to book a flat for the suspended officer. Including earlier seizures, the ED has attached approximately Rs 1.63 crore in this specific case. Chandra also faces separate cheating allegations regarding a Rs 14.55 crore fraud involving fabricated power and mid-day meal sector documents.
Simultaneously, the ED cracked down on an illegal IPL and cricket betting racket. The agency attached nine immovable properties and various bank accounts worth Rs 1.05 crore. This operation centers on Prasenjit Paul and his maternal uncle, Laxman Paul. Police raided Prasenjit Paul’s residence on May 11, 2023. Officers found Rs 93 lakh in cash, mobile phones, and 17 notebooks filled with betting records. Prasenjit Paul, Laxman Paul, and Laxman’s wife, Jhuma Dey Paul, allegedly laundered these gains into land in West Tripura and Kolkata. The total value of assets seized in the betting case now stands at Rs 2.43 crore. Authorities continue to investigate both matters.
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