Directorate of Enforcement (ED) had filed Prosecution Complaint (PC) against Lucas Thangmangliana, M/s Nay La Family Exports Pvt. Ltd. and 16 others under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 before the Special PMLA Court, Nampally on August 21^st,2023 in human hair smuggling case. The court has taken cognizance of the PC on March 1^st, 2024.

ED initiated investigation on the basis of FIR registered by Hyderabad Police under various sections of IPC, 1860  against M/s Nay La Family Exports Pvt. Ltd. and others for using benami Import Export Codes (IEC) for exporting human hair, cheating by impersonation, using forged documents and smuggling of human hair to Myanmar, Bangladesh, Vietnam and China from Hyderabad airport and through land routes from Mizoram.

ED investigation revealed that Lucas Thangmangliana, resident of Mizoram, was arranging illegal border crossing i.e., smuggling of human hair and fertilizers from India to Myanmar through Mizoram border. He also helped residents of Myanmar in smuggling of betel nuts from Myanmar to India and arranged cash payments in respect of above commodities through hawala networks.

The modus operandi of payment through hawala network run by Lucas Thanmangliana was such that his associates received payments from the buyers of human hair and fertilizers smuggled from India to Myanmar in Kyat (currency of Myanmar); thereafter, Lucas Thanmangliana received payment against the betel nuts smuggled form Myanmar to India from the Indian buyers in Indian currency; thereafter, Lucas Thanmangilana made payments to betel nut sellers in Myanmar in Kyat from the fund collected by him from the buyers of human hair & fertilizers and Indian sellers of human hair were paid in Indian Currency from the funds received by him from buyers of betel nuts in India.

ED had earlier conducted searches at multiple locations in Mizoram and Hyderabad belonging to Lucas Thangmangliana and various shell entities, seized unaccounted cash of Rs. 1.21 Crore and froze more than 100 bank accounts having balance of Rs. 7.85 Crore. These accounts were used to deposit huge amounts of cash by persons other than the account holders. Human hair exporters from Hyderabad received cash payments from these frozen accounts and through hawala channels as differential payment for their highly undervalued human hair exports.

Further investigation is under progress.

Ed raids prosecution Complaint Lucas Thangmangliana M s Nay La Family Exports Pvt Ltd Myanmar Bangladesh Vietnam China