Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Ahmedabad zonal office, on Wednesday carried out searches at multiple locations across Gujarat and Maharashtra in connection with a money laundering investigation into a cybercrime syndicate accused of orchestrating “digital arrest” scams and illegally transferring over Rs 100 crore to foreign jurisdictions, official sources said.
The searches were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at premises located in Surat and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, and in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
According to officials, the ED probe is based on a 2024 FIR registered by the Gujarat Police against several individuals, including Makbul Doctor, Kaashif Doctor, Bassam Doctor, Mahesh Mafatlal Desai, and Maaz Abdul Raheem Nada, among others.
The accused are alleged to have defrauded members of the public through various cybercrime schemes, including fake USDT (cryptocurrency) trading platforms, digital arrest threats, and the circulation of forged notices impersonating law enforcement agencies to intimidate victims into transferring money.
Investigations revealed that the accused were involved in cyber frauds such as “digital arrests” a method in which victims are forced to stay on video calls via Internet-based social media platforms while scammers, posing as police or other enforcement officials, extort money by threatening legal action.
The ED suspects that proceeds from these fraudulent activities were collected in bank accounts opened using forged identity documents or dummy KYC details. These accounts were then used to layer and move illicit funds.
Further, the probe revealed that a significant portion of the siphoned money was converted into cryptocurrency with the help of hawala operators and traditional ‘Angadiya’ networks. Sources indicated that over Rs 100 crore has likely been remitted abroad in recent months through these routes.
As of now, the ED has not disclosed any details regarding seizures or arrests. The searches and further investigations were ongoing at the time of filing this report.
