NEW DELHI: The ED on Wednesday conducted searches at 11 locations across Delhi-NCR and Dehradun as part of its probe under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) into alleged global cyber fraud scam being run through call centres, officials said.
The central probe agency conducted searches in Delhi, Gurugram, Noida and Dehradun against the cyber fraud ring accused of duping Indian and foreign nationals, they said, adding that the total proceeds of crime are believed to be Rs 260 crore as of yet.
Revealing about the modus oprandi, the officials said, the fraudsters allegedly impersonated as technical agents from leading tech companies like Microsoft and Amazon and allegedly offered to assist citizens in the United States and Canada.
The ED found that they cheated the victims by transferring their money into cryptocurrency networks and Bitcoin wallets, after which they were converted into fake crypto wallets. The call-centre in Noida is believed to be the main centre for the crime from where the fraudsters used to threaten the victims of their potential arrests, they said. The agency has seized many electronic devices and evidence during the raids, including several documents.
There are several complaints received by the CBI and Delhi Police, which are in the process of registering FIRs in the matter, the officials said, adding that further details are awaited in the case as there is a possibility of involved individuals being arrested by the ED. Meanwhile, in another case assets valued at Rs 42.8 crore belonging to an Indian national, who was detained in the US, have been seized under the PMLA, the officials said.
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