VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Feb 4: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a prosecution complaint before the special PMLA court in Ranchi against dreaded human trafficker Pannal Lal Mahto and others under provisions of Prevention of the Money Laundering Act.
The ED said that the prosecution includes three accomplices of Panna Lal Mahto, namely Sunita Kumari (wife), Shiv Shankar Ganjhu (brother), Gopal Oraon besides six placement agencies that are engaged in the human trafficking.
The ED initiated the money-laundering investigation on the basis of FIRs and a charge sheet registered by the Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of Khunti against Panna Lal Mahto and his accomplices. Further, the FIR no. 07/19 lodged in July 2019 by AHTU was taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The NIA also filed a charge sheet against him under section 120B, 363, 370(2) (3) (4) (5), 370A, 371, 374, 376, 420 & 34 of Indian Penal Code, Sections 06 and 12 r/w section 25 of Inter-State Migrant workmen (regulation of Employment and Conditions of Services) Act, 1979 and section 79 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2015.
During investigation under PMLA, it was established that Panna Lal Mahto and his accomplices were running human trafficking rackets in the guise of several placements agencies in Delhi which used to traffic poor and innocent persons including minors.
Panna Lal Mahto particularly targeted the poor and vulnerable from different districts of Jharkhand specially Khunti and he trafficked them on the pretext of providing them jobs in Delhi and other places.
While victims were forced to work under the subhuman condition without any payment Panna Lal Mahto ran several placement agencies in Delhi without obtaining a license under the Delhi Private Placement Agencies (Regulation) order, 2014. Such labourers (victims) were never registered under the provisions of ‘The Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979’ they sometimes mysteriously died and were also exploited.
Panna Lal Mahto and his accomplices used to ill-treat the victims and did not allow them to return back to their respective native villages and forced them to work against their desire. The ED said that Panna Lal Mahto trafficked about 5000 persons through his well-organized placement agency racket in Delhi. He admitted this fact in his statement given before the ED.
The agency doubts that he acquired property worth around Rs five crore through human trafficking. The ED so far has detected to the tune of Rs. Rs 3.36 crore in the name of his wife and others. Accordingly, the ED provisionally attached the immovable and movable properties in December last year. These attached properties include five premium plots of land at Argora in Ranchi, four plots of land in Khunti, cash deposits of Rs. 17.71 lakhs in various bank accounts and one Toyota Fortuner Vehicle, kept at Khunti police station.
