New Delhi/Aizawl, August 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at 10 residential and business premises across Assam and Delhi as part of a money laundering investigation into an organised cross-border areca nut smuggling network operating from Myanmar through Mizoram, the agency said on Thursday.
The searches, carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), targeted premises linked to eight individuals allegedly involved in the procurement, financing and distribution of Myanmar-origin areca nuts, commonly known as Burmese betel nuts.
The ED’s Aizawl Sub-Zonal Office conducted the searches at locations in Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj (Sribhumi) districts of southern Assam and Delhi. The premises were linked to Jakir Hussain, Kabir Hussain, Anjan Kumar Paul, Pinku Paul, Romi Jain, Anowar Hussain, Khalil Uddin and Dipankar Deb.
The agency said the investigation originated from an FIR registered by the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch in Imphal following directions from the Gauhati High Court on July 16 in connection with a public interest litigation.
The FIR alleged large-scale smuggling of areca nuts from Myanmar into Mizoram’s Champhai district using fraudulent e-way bills and forged documents, including transactions involving entities that were not registered under the GST regime.
According to the ED, e-way bills worth around Rs 86.25 crore under CGST and Rs 251.19 crore under SGST were generated between 2021-22 and 2023-24. Zokhawthar, along the India-Myanmar border, emerged as a major transit point.
The agency said its investigation uncovered a three-tier network. Myanmar-based suppliers allegedly handed over consignments without customs clearance to facilitators operating warehouses in Champhai. These facilitators then supplied the smuggled areca nuts to purchasers and financiers in Assam’s Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts.
The Assam-based financiers allegedly sold the consignments onward or routed the proceeds to buyers and financiers outside the Northeast.
The ED said Delhi-based trader Romi Jain had carried out substantial financial transactions with entities in Silchar and Mizoram allegedly involved in the illegal trade. The smuggled areca nuts were ultimately supplied to buyers in Delhi, West Bengal, Nagpur and Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier, the ED had searched nine premises in Champhai on June 4 as part of the same investigation. Analysis of bank transactions and statements recorded from Mizoram-based facilitators allegedly established a money trail leading to entities and individuals in Silchar and Delhi.
During the latest searches, several individuals allegedly admitted to transferring money to Mizoram-based facilitators for purchasing Myanmar-origin areca nuts, the agency said.
The ED also found that multiple bank accounts were allegedly operated in the names of persons other than the actual beneficial owners to layer and route proceeds from the smuggling operation.
Signed blank cheques, property documents, digital devices, mobile phones and other documents linked to the alleged money trail were recovered and seized during the searches.
The investigation is continuing.
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