Kolkata: In chargesheet, ED says Pak man ran hawala network, forged papers
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet under the anti-money laundering law against a Pakistani national, Ajad Mallik, who had been illegally living in Kolkata using forged Indian and Bangladeshi identity documents.
In a statement released by the ED on June 13, it said a Prosecution Complaint (PC) was filed before the Special Court under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Kolkata. The agency began investigating Mallik after an FIR was lodged by the West Bengal Police under Sections 14 and 14A of the Foreigners Act, 1946.
According to the ED, Mallik, also known by aliases Ahammed Hossain Azad and Azad Hossain, had fraudulently acquired multiple Indian government IDs, including an Aadhaar card, voter ID, PAN card, Indian passport, and driving licence.
The ED initially suspected Mallik to be a Bangladeshi national, but a Pakistani driving licence recovered from his mobile phone, dating back to 1994 revealed his actual identity. The licence bore the name 'Azad Hossain', listed his father's name as Mumtaz-ul-Haque, and provided a permanent address in Hyderabad, Pakistan. His date of birth was recorded as August 14, 1971.
ED officers arrested Mallik on April 15, 2025, following a search operation that revealed his role in creating fraudulent identity documents for illegal immigrants in exchange for money. He was taken into ED custody for 14 days and is currently in judicial custody.
The ED found that Mallik ran a 'hawala network' facilitating illegal cross-border payments between India and Bangladesh. He collected payments through cash and UPI in India and transferred equivalent amounts to Bangladesh using mobile payment platforms like Bkash. He was also allegedly involved in forging documents for Bangladeshi nationals seeking visas and passports to travel to countries such as Dubai, Cambodia, and Malaysia.
'He collected payments in Bangladeshi Taka, US Dollars, or Indian Rupees and either deposited these into his own bank accounts or those of his associates engaged in fraudulent visa/passport processing,' the ED said.
Investigators also found that Mallik was connected to certain Kolkata-based forex firms (FFMCs), where large sums of cash were deposited under the guise of legitimate foreign currency exchanges. In reality, these were proceeds of crime linked to illegal identity creation for Bangladeshi nationals.
In an earlier update, the ED revealed that Mallik's wife, Maymuna Akhter, and two sons,Osama Bin Azad and Omar Faruk,live in Bangladesh. He reportedly made frequent visits to meet them despite lacking valid travel documents.
The ED said that further investigation is underway.
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