ED arrests financial scam kingpin PK Halder a day after search ops across West Bengal

In a key development,  former Managing Director of NRB Global Bank and Reliance Finance Limited Prashant Kumar Halder was arrested on Saturday. PK Halder was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, a day after the central agency carried out search operations at various premises linked to Bangladesh nationals. Apart from Halder, his associates' premises across the state of West Bengal were also searched.

In the searches that were carried out at the request of the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit and Anti Corruption Commission, huge properties of PK Halder, including houses, and many important documents, including land deeds, have been recovered.

Halder bought immovable properties, floated companies on fake identity cards

In a press release, ED has said that  Halder has been posing himself as an Indian citizen in the name of Shibshankar Halder after having managed to fraudulently obtain various government identities like Ration Card from the State of West Bengal, Indian Voter ID card, PAN and Aadhar card. The ED has ascertained that these Bangladesh nationals have also managed to float companies in India on the basis of fraudulently obtained identities and have even purchased immovable properties at various places including in the posh areas of the Metropolis Kolkata.

Halder and other associate persons are accused in a multi-million financial fraud in Bangladesh. They have swindled Tk1,300 crore from FAS Finance & Investment Limited, using the names of 20 non-existent companies, as per the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Bangladesh. According to a report filed by the commission, 20 companies were not found at their given address while the other two institutions were found to be closed, but the amount was directly transferred to various financial institutions. 

On October 22, 2019, the commission issued a travel ban on Halder, However, he fled the country through Benapole land port. Efforts are now being made to bring him back.