Gujarat: ED arrests accused in human trafficking case, Rs 7 crore under probe

Ahmedabad, July 3 The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Ahmedabad Zonal Office, has arrested Bharatkumar Rambhai Patel, alias Bobby Patel, under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with a large-scale human trafficking racket.

Patel was produced before the Special PMLA Court in Mirzapur, Ahmedabad, which granted four days of ED custody for further interrogation.

The ED action follows an FIR registered by the Shola High Court Police Station in Ahmedabad, where Patel and others were accused of illegally sending Indian nationals abroad since 2015.

The investigation has unearthed a sophisticated operation in which Patel allegedly charged between Rs 60 to Rs 75 lakh per person, Rs 1 to Rs 1.25 crore per couple, and up to Rs 1.75 crore for families with children, by fabricating travel documents, including bogus visas and duplicate passports.

Patel is accused of using impersonation tactics and forged paperwork to smuggle clients into foreign countries under false identities. Multiple FIRs have been registered against him across Gujarat, Delhi, and West Bengal, and the estimated proceeds of crime (POC) so far stand at over Rs 7 crore.

The ED has confirmed that further investigation into the financial trail and other accomplices is ongoing.

In 2025, Gujarat emerged as a focal point for several high-profile Enforcement Directorate (ED) interventions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Key actions include: In Ahmedabad and Surat, ED teams raided multiple locations in late June as part of a crackdown on a Rs 100 crore cyber-fraud network. The probe centres on the misuse of forged KYC, fake USDT trading, and digital arrest threats, with funds allegedly funnelled through hawala operators and converted into cryptocurrency.

In May, the agency arrested Bahubali Shah, a director of Gujarat Samachar Ltd., in a reputed money laundering case with ties to alleged share manipulation and financial irregularities in Lok Prakashan Ltd. He was later granted interim bail on medical grounds.

In June, ED conducted raids in Ahmedabad related to the massive Nexa Evergreen real estate scam, involving an alleged Rs 2,700 crore money laundering scheme linked to fraudulent land sales in Dholera Smart City. Seizures included over Rs 2 crore in cash and frozen accounts.

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