EAGLE team nabs drug money laundering kingpin in Mumbai

The EAGLE team arrested D Rataji Prajapati, kingpin of a major drug money laundering network linked to Nigerian cartels. The operation led to the seizure of Rs. 3 crore hawala funds and exposed a nationwide network spanning Mumbai, Delhi, and Goa

Hyderabad: In a major breakthrough against international drug cartels, the elite EAGLE team has arrested D Rataji Prajapati, the kingpin of a nationwide drug money laundering network linked to Nigerian syndicates in Mumbai.

The operation followed a series of arrests across India , including in Mumbai, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Goa, after the Rachakonda Police recently nabbed a Nigerian national, Onyeisi Esomchi Kenneth alias Maxwell alias Emmanuel Bediako, in a drug case.

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Investigators tracked down and arrested Prajapati in Mumbai and seized Rs. 3 crore in drug-linked hawala funds from a firm named Bharath Kumar Chaganlal & Company, which was allegedly being used as a front to channel drug proceeds.

According to EAGLE officials, investigations revealed that Prajapati and his associates operated a vast hawala network connecting Mumbai, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, and Goa, facilitating the transfer of drug money collected from Nigerian nationals.

“The funds were routed to Nigeria under the guise of legitimate exports such as fabrics, human hair, and garments,” officials said.

It was further found that several associates of Prajapati, including Chetan Singh, Ronak Prajapati, Chetan Mavji, and Uttam Singh alias Jaswant, had coordinated collections and deliveries for Nigerian cartel members. The accused also disclosed the existence of other hawala hubs in Ahmedabad and New Delhi.

Authorities noted that Onyeisi Kenneth, the earlier arrested foreign national, allegedly used five different passports, including four Nigerian and one Ghanaian, to conduct his drug trade in India, raising serious concerns over the re-entry of deported offenders under fake identities.

So far, 25 persons have been arrested, and a total of Rs. 3.084 crore in drug money has been seized in the case.