Mumbai: PMLA Court Rejects Bail Plea For Nagpur Businessman Wasim Bawla In Betel Nut Smuggling Case

The special PMLA court on Saturday rejected bail plea of 34 year old businessman from Nagpur Wasim Bawla, booked for smuggling betel nuts, observing that the offence he is involved in is a serious economic offence that cripple the economy and the nation's wealth.

Court's observations

The special PMLA judge MG Deshpande while rejecting bail plea of Bawla said, "Witness statements, including those of ED contractual staff, prima-facie indicate that the applicant (A1), unresponsive to summons, obtained documents through ED contractual staff. The method and modus-operandi for handling Betel Nuts, unfit for human consumption, through illegal import and generating money by criminal activity relating to the predicate offence, clearly indicate the generation of proceeds of crime."

Background details of case

Bawla was arrested by Enforcement in June last year for money laundering. He has been booked by CBI as well as by Directorate of Revenue Intelligent. The CBI, Nagpur registered a case against illegal smuggling after Bombay High Court's order in February 2021. 

Besides, DRI had on May 2020, issued a show cause notice to Bawla for illegally procuring 132.15 MTs of smuggled Betel Nuts of Indonesian origin. Suppliers in Singapore, dealing with Indonesian Betel Nuts, contacted buyers in Nagpur and other parts of India through agents. The goods were transported to Myanmar via Thailand, then clandestinely moved through the Indo-Myanmar border and stored in various godowns in Assam, Mizoram.

Bawla's claims

Bawla claimed that he is a local trader and submitted his credentials with all documents to show that he has not dealt with any international transaction nor involved in a single transaction of money-laundering. Besides he said, he never met or heard about any person named Kuhoje Achumi nor heard about any entity named M/s Kheboto Traders, who are allegedly involved in smuggling. Also he said, his firm M/s Green Traders do not have a business relationship with M/s Kheboto Traders.

However, in his statement, Bawla had admitted having purchased Betel Nuts from. Kuhoje Achumi. He further states that he came to know about Kuhoje Achumi and Abdul Hannan Ali from Irshad Bhai, and both of them had sold Betel Nuts to his firm M/s. Green Traders from Assam. The court noted that Bawla suppressed crucial information and all this prima-facie indicates that M/s Kheboto Traders was created merely to deceive the Investigating Agencies. Thus, the court while rejecting Bawla's bail plea said if granted bail, he would continue to do this offence.