In a synchronised operation, the Enforcement Directorate, in coordination with its Australian counterparts, launched a major crackdown on suspected members of a trans-national drug syndicate for which Indian conduits were laundering money running into millions of dollars.
While the alleged kingpin and his two associates were arrested in India, the other two were held by the Australian Federal Police. The operation was a follow-up action into trafficking of cannabis products, in connection with which the Australian authorities had last month arrested seven persons.
The Australian authorities said: “The collaboration of partner agencies both in Australia and with the Indian Enforcement Directorate is exceptional.”
The Australian authorities approached the ED about a month ago with an input that some suspicious elements operating from Delhi and Amritsar were helping Australia-based drug traffickers in routing funds through the hawala channel. They also allegedly indulged in money laundering.
Through phone interceptions, the ED learnt that the Indian operators had a wide network in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Accordingly, the two agencies came together to launch simultaneous synchronised operations. While in India searches were carried out on five premises in Delhi and four in Amritsar; the Australian teams conducted searches at 13 places there, seized 73,000 Australian dollars and arrested two persons in South and Western Australia.
“ED has seized Rs.78 lakh in cash along with incriminating documents evidencing involvement of the suspected persons in the alleged money laundering syndicate,” said an ED statement. The agency has also seized mobile phones, computers, CCTV records and logbooks containing code-names that are being deciphered.
The alleged kingpin has been identified as Paramdeep Singh Arora, who has been arrested along with his brother Gagandeep in Amritsar. Their alleged associate, Gaurav Gupta, was arrested at Karol Bagh in Delhi.
The Arora brothers were earlier charged by the Punjab Police for violations of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. It is suspected that they were responsible for money laundering of drug proceeds generated out of the narcotic trafficking in Australia.
Gaurav Gupta is also suspected to have been running a wide network of trade-based money laundering, according to the agency.
It has been alleged that an extensive international alternative remittance service network involved in laundering millions of dollars out of Australia on behalf of serious and organised crime was being carried out. The network purportedly used Australian bank accounts, corporate structures and complicit remitting agents for the purpose.
