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A woman from Assam’s Sonitpur district has been arrested after police uncovered what they describe as suspicious cross-border financial activities and an alleged secret marriage to a Pakistani national in Dubai. Four others, including her brother, have also been arrested in the widening investigation.The accused, Jyotika Kalita, was taken into custody on December 5 and later remanded to judicial custody after investigators reportedly detected large foreign-linked fund flows through multiple bank accounts associated with her. Police say she is under probe for suspected money laundering involving international operatives.According to the preliminary investigation, Jyotika had been travelling to Dubai for business purposes, where she allegedly
entered into a secret marriage with a Pakistani citizen, Ramzan Muhammad a relationship her family has also acknowledged. Police have described the man as a resident of a “hostile nation”.Speaking to Timesnow, the Senior Superintendent of Police said Jyotika and her partner were allegedly operating illegal financial transactions involving a network of mule accounts. “She used to transfer huge amounts of money illicitly through mule accounts. She is also involved in online fraud in several countries like Mauritius, Nepal and Bangladesh,” the SSP said. He added that mobile-phone analysis revealed direct links with Pakistani operatives based in the UK and the Middle East, who reportedly used mule-account networks to route funds. Police said they had been monitoring Jyotika for months after noticing suspicious financial behavior.A case has been registered at Tezpur Police Station (Case No. 770/25) under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including criminal breach of trust, cheating, use of forged electronic records and joint criminal liability. “We began preparing for the arrest earlier, but she was in Dubai. Once she returned, we arrested her,” the SSP added. Along with Jyotika, her brother Jitu Kalita and three others have been arrested for their suspected involvement.Residents of Borjhar village in Tezpur, where the family recently settled after an eviction drive in Parowa, said they had long suspected something was amiss. Villagers observed a sudden rise in the family’s wealth new property, rapid home development, and unexplained prosperity. Jyotika’s mother had told neighbours that her daughter worked in a money exchange business in Dubai. Police, however, found 17 bank accounts, 44 ATM cards, and several cheque-books linked to Jyotika, with large sums reportedly flowing through the accounts. Her mother, Pinky Kalita, confirmed the existence of these accounts and her daughter’s marriage in Dubai but insisted Jyotika was innocent and simply employed in legitimate money exchange operations.News of Jyotika’s alleged Pakistan links and foreign fund transfers has stunned the village. Lalit Kalita, secretary of the Borjhar Shikhiya Suburi Village Development Committee, said locals had suspected unusual activity but “never imagined it would be this serious”. Villagers have now demanded a thorough probe and strict action against Jyotika, her brother, and the other accused if the allegations are proven true.
