look news india
Ranchi, July 6 (HS). The bail plea filed by human trafficking kingpin crorepati Panna Lal Mahto in the money laundering case was heard in the Jharkhand High Court on Saturday. The court has directed the ED to file a reply and has fixed the next hearing of the case on August 16. The ED has filed ECIR 4/2021 against Panna Lal.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is conducting investigation under the Money Laundering Act, has seized movable and immovable property worth Rs 3 crore 36 lakh 65 thousand 968 rupees 86 paise of human trafficker Panna Lal Mahto. This property is in the name of Panna Lal and his relatives. Panna Lal used to provide work to girls of Jharkhand as domestic help etc. in various states of the country through placement agency and used to usurp the salary received by those girls in lieu of work.
Panna Lal Mahto is a resident of Ganaloya village of Murhu police station area of Khunti district. He is also accused of earning property worth more than Rs 100 crore by selling 5000 girls of Jharkhand in 15 years. Apart from Jharkhand Police, NIA has also registered a case against him and is investigating. Panna Lal was arrested by the police from Khunti.
The accused has so far sold thousands of minor boys and girls in various cities of the country as well as abroad. He was arrested on the basis of a case registered in Khunti's Anti Human Trafficking Unit on August 6, 2018. Panna Lal and his wife Sunita have been involved in human trafficking since 2003. Panna Lal used to take children from various districts of Odisha including Jharkhand on the pretext of giving them work and sell them.