ED busts Rs 130 crore illegal call centre scam targeting US residents; freezes 30 bank accounts, seizes 8 luxury cars- See pics | India News

NEW DELHI: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Gurugram Zonal Office, busted a scam the place a bunch of children began illegal call facilities and cheated US residents for greater than $15 million (over Rs 130 crore) in simply 2-3 years.On Wednesday, the ED carried out search operations at seven areas in Gurugram and New Delhi, below the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in reference to an ongoing probe into an illegal call centre scam.The ED’s investigation has to this point recognized three key people: Arjun Gulati, Divyansh Goel, and Abhinav Kalra. These people are accused of operating illegal call centres in Noida and Gurugram, masquerading as technical help suppliers to deceive their victims, ED mentioned on Saturday in a press release. The accused allegedly gained unauthorized entry to the victims’ bank accounts, transferring funds to a number of international accounts earlier than routing them again to India by a posh internet of transactions involving over 200 bank accounts. The investigation has uncovered that the accused defrauded victims of roughly US$ 15 million (Rs 1,30,95,89,601) throughout November 2022 to April 2024.During the search operations, the ED discovered numerous incriminating paperwork and digital information, offering essential insights into the fraud’s modus operandi, which had been seized additionally. Statements from key people concerned within the cyber scam have been recorded. Additionally, 30 bank accounts linked to the accused have been frozen, and authorities have seized eight luxury vehicles and quite a few high-value luxury watches. The accused are reported to have lived in opulent properties, allegedly bought with the proceeds of their illegal actions, and have acquired belongings value over Rs. 100 crore.See picture:

The investigation was initiated on the premise of an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), IOD, Delhi, below numerous sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and the Information Technology Act, 2000. The FIR alleged that unknown accused individuals, in legal conspiracy with each other, had been working illegal call centres in New Delhi and adjoining areas with the intent of defrauding victims—primarily United States nationals—by expertise help scams between November 2022 and April 2024.