Rs 40 lakh, gold seized from Bengal madrasa

5 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 17, 2026 03:50 AM IST

The findings from the remaining 15 premises are being compiled and will be shared later, the official said, adding that the searches continued till late Thursday night.

(File)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted searches at 16 locations across Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, and Haryana as part of a money laundering investigation into alleged terror funding and illegal infiltration network.

The ED said that it recovered Rs 40 lakh cash and gold coins weighing 180 gm from a madrasa, Al-Jamiatul Islamia Darul Uloom, in Haroa in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

“The madrasa management and the staff failed to give satisfactory justification about the legal source of the cash and the coins,” an official said.

The findings from the remaining 15 premises are being compiled and will be shared later, the official said, adding that the searches continued till late Thursday night.

According to the ED, they have so far seized bank records and digital devices that are being scanned.

The searches carried out by the agency’s Lucknow Zonal Office were conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with a case registered based on an FIR lodged by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) in 2024.

According to officials, the ATS had registered an FIR against a syndicate that allegedly facilitated the illegal infiltration of Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals into India.

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Officials said the ATS uncovered the syndicate after arresting Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals who were allegedly living in India without valid documents and using Indian identity papers obtained illegally.

The ATS said that the syndicate operated across West Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and several districts of Uttar Pradesh, arranging forged Indian identity documents and helping Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals settle in these states.

Money trail under scanner

An official said that based on the ATS inputs, the ED is investigating an alleged financial network involving some charitable trusts, organisations, and groups.

These entities, officials claimed, are suspected of having received substantial foreign contributions.

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These funds, officials said, were allegedly diverted through multiple bank accounts, mule accounts, and layered transactions to facilitate illegal activities, including terror funding and helping Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals settle in certain areas, find jobs, start businesses, and engage in other trades.

The investigation has also indicated the use of cash withdrawals and small-value bank transfers to suspected beneficiaries, the official said.

How the probe began

Thursday’s simultaneous searches were the result of the arrest of a Bangladesh national in Varanasi four years ago.

The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the UP Police had arrested one Mohammad alias Adil-ur-Rehman, an alleged Bangladesh national, for “infiltrating the country” and getting fake identity documents like Aadhaar and PAN cards.

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In the FIR filed by the UP ATS, it had named 10 accused.

Officials said during interrogation, Adil reportedly revealed that two other Bangladesh nationals were living in the Deoband area of Saharanpur district.

The duo, Sheikh Najib-ul-Haque and Abu Huraira, also got help from the same alleged syndicate, which facilitated Adil’s entry into the country, the ATS investigation claimed.

The ATS, in its investigation, found that NGOs in Delhi and Haryana and madrasas in West Bengal and UP were part of the syndicate involved in human trafficking and forging Indian identity documents, posing a threat to national security and helping in a conspiracy to disturb communal harmony.

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The ATS filed seven chargesheets in the next two years after lodging an FIR in October 2023 against the arrested accused, a majority of whom had got bail after their arrest.

The FIR was lodged on charges of human trafficking, forgery for the purpose of cheating, conspiracy, and sections under the Foreigners Act & Passport Act.

The ATS, in its chargesheets, alleged that at least Rs 20 crore were transacted, including foreign funding done by the syndicate using hawala routes and mule bank accounts to facilitate infiltration and settle Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals in different states of India.

While opposing the bail plea of one of the accused, Delhi-based resident Dr Abdul Ghaffar, earlier this year, the prosecution said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) or the ATS had been monitoring and the matter after getting inputs in October, 2021.

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The investigation found that “anti-national activities” were being carried out by the “so-called” respected persons of the society, and they were allegedly trying to manage to settle Rohingyas and illegal Bangladeshi persons in India to create unrest and disharmony in the country.

The agencies put the telephone numbers of suspected persons under surveillance and intensified the investigation. “On the basis of such an investigation, relevant facts, circumstances, and incriminating information came to our notice, which was followed by the UP ATS registering an FIR on October 11, 2023,” a police officer said.

“Since the ATS investigation had found various incriminating evidence indicating money laundering, the agency shared the details with Lucknow Zone of Enforcement Directorate, which further initiated the inquiry and registered a case under PMLA sections in 2024,” the official said.

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Bhupendra Pandey is the Resident Editor of the Lucknow edition of The Indian Express. With decades of experience in the heart of Uttar Pradesh’s journalistic landscape, he oversees the bureau’s coverage of India’s most politically significant state. His expertise lies in navigating the complex intersections of state governance, legislative policy, and grassroots social movements. From tracking high-stakes assembly elections to analyzing administrative shifts in the Hindi heartland, Bhupendra’s reportage provides a definitive lens on the region's evolution.

Authoritativeness He leads a team of seasoned reporters and investigators, ensuring that The Indian Express’ signature "Journalism of Courage" is reflected in every regional story. His leadership is central to the Lucknow bureau’s reputation for breaking stories that hold the powerful to account, making him a trusted figure for policy analysts, political scholars, and the general public seeking to understand the nuances of UP’s complex landscape.

Trustworthiness & Accountability Under his stewardship, the Lucknow edition adheres to the strictest standards of factual verification and non-partisan reporting. He serves as a bridge between the local populace and the national discourse, ensuring that regional issues are elevated with accuracy and context. By prioritizing primary-source reporting and on-the-ground verification, he upholds the trust that readers have placed in the Express brand for nearly a century. ... Read More

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