Authority: High Court at Calcutta

Order Date: 08.09.2026

Case Overview

  • Petitioner: Indubhusan Halder @ Dulal Halder (57‑year‑old Indian national) vs. Enforcement Directorate (ED).
  • Criminal Revision (M) 416 of 2026, bail application linked to Money‑Laundering Case No. 4 of 2025 (ECIR/ELZO‑II/06/2025 dated 27.03.2025) under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money‑Laundering Act (PMLA).
  • Arrested on 13.10.2025 under Section 19 of PMLA.
  • Allegations: acting as passport agent near Anandapur Passport Seva Kendra, facilitating forged Indian passports and identity documents for illegal Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals, charging Rs 20,000 for a passport and Rs 50,000 for a full document set.
  • Estimated 300‑400 applications processed through associate Dibyendu Roy, generating proceeds of crime between Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 2 crore.
  • Financial evidence: Bank of Baroda account No. 37178100021060 received Rs 48,200 from prime accused Ajad Mallik and Rs 1,15,338 from Dibyendu Roy (including Rs 84,000 for online passport form submission).
  • Call Detail Records: 557 calls with Ajad Mallik, 197 calls with Biplab Sarkar, 33 calls with passport agent Shyamal Kumar Jana over two years.
  • Documentary evidence: 29 passport applications with forged Income Tax Returns showing identical tax liabilities, e‑filing numbers, IP addresses, and unstamped SBI challans; fabricated Aadhaar and PAN details with biologically impossible age differences among brothers.
  • No FIR named petitioner; first supplementary complaint on 13.06.2025; no schedule offence currently recorded against him.
  • Medical condition: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chest pain, shortness of breath, cough; multiple hospitalizations at Apollo Hospital (since 2022), Presidency Correctional Home (admitted 18.10.2025), SSKM Hospital OPD visits on 30.10.2025, 20.11.2025, 18.12.2025, 15.01.2026, 12.02.2026, 19.02.2026, 19.03.2026, 07.05.2026; transferred to Kalyani Sub‑Correctional Home (07.05.2026) and AIIMS Kalyani admissions on 09.05.2026 and 11‑12.05.2026, diagnosed with COPD; required specific vaccine brand Vaxigrip.
  • Prior bail applications: anticipatory bail rejected on 19.05.2025 (ML 04 of 2025) and 04.09.2025 (CRM(A) 1856 of 2025).
  • Court considered statutory embargo under Section 45 of PMLA, but noted that prolonged incarceration with serious health issues may outweigh it, citing Supreme Court decisions in Senthil Balaji (2024) and Manish Sisodia (2024).

Final Outcome

  • The Court, after evaluating the medical reports dated 28.06.2026 and the ten‑month custody, granted bail.
  • Bail terms: bond of Rs 50,000 with two sureties of equal amount, one local, to be approved by the Learned CJM, Calcutta.
  • Conditions: (i) surrender passport immediately; (ii) obtain leave of the Trial Court for any foreign travel; (iii) disclose mobile numbers and residence to investigating officer and Trial Court; (iv) not intimidate or contact witnesses; (v) appear regularly before the Trial Court; (vi) bail may be cancelled upon violation.
  • Order dated 08.09.2026; urgent certified copy to be provided to parties.

Topics: Money Laundering, Passport Fraud, Health‑Based Bail