Rs 100 crore scam busted: ED raids fake call centres in Delhi; US citizens duped with counterfeit Microsoft software
(ED) has conducted raids at three locations in Delhi's Khanpur area as part of a money laundering investigation linked to a fake call centre accused of duping US citizens by selling pirated software, official sources said Friday.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
The searches began around 10:30 pm on Thursday and were still underway as of Friday, official sources said.
The operation is being carried out under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Preliminary investigations indicate that the call centre was run by individuals who misled foreign nationals — particularly in the United States — by selling "fictitious or pirated " software under the guise of genuine products like Microsoft Windows.
According to sources, the Enforcement Directorate suspects that the operators received foreign remittances amounting to approximately Rs 100 crore between 2016–17 and 2024–25.
(With inputs from agencies)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
Illegal mining: Ed attaches assets worth over 17.5 cr
1 2 Chandigarh: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has provisionally attached immovable assets worth Rs 17.68 crore in a case related to alleged illegal mining carried out in the Dadam hill area of Tosham village in Bhiwani district by M/s Goverdhan Mines and Minerals, M/s Sunder Marketing Associate, Vedpal Singh Tanwar, Raman Sokhal, and others under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The entire operation was carried out last week, an ED official informed on Saturday. The ED had initiated an investigation into the case following a prosecution complaint filed by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) under the Environment Protection Act, 1986. Subsequently, the Haryana Police also registered an FIR under various sections of the IPC against M/s Goverdhan Mines and Minerals (GMM), M/s Sunder Marketing Associates (SMA), and its partners, including Vedpal Singh Tanwar, Raman Shokhal, and others. The ED investigation revealed that M/s Goverdhan Mines and Minerals and M/s Sunder Marketing Associates undertook mining activities at Dadam mines, Bhiwani, from 2017 to 2022, wherein they were involved in illegal and unscientific mining to the tune of more than Rs 1,200 crore, causing a loss to the govt exchequer and corresponding gains to themselves. The probe also revealed that the mining tender was allotted to the proprietorship firm M/s Sunder Marketing Associates, in which Naveen Goel was the proprietor. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Resmed AirSense 11 with flat 20% off ResMed Buy Now Undo To dupe the govt, another partnership firm with a similar name, i.e., M/s Sunder Marketing Associates was created by Raman Sokhal and others, and complete mining was done fraudulently without informing or taking permission from the Haryana mining department. The investigation further revealed that the proceeds of crime acquired by Goverdhan Mines and Minerals through illegal and unscientific mining were used to acquire movable and immovable properties. During the investigation, assets of the accused worth Rs 56.97 crore were attached provisionally via an order dated Sept 27, 2024, and a criminal prosecution complaint was filed before the Special Court under the PMLA, said the ED official. During further investigation, efforts were made to trace and attach the balance proceeds of crime, said the official, adding that assets worth Rs 17.68 crore were attached via an order dated July 28. Thus, proceeds of crime worth Rs 74.65 crore have been attached so far in the matter. The official further said the probe against M/s Sunder Marketing Associates and its owners – Raman Shokhal and others – was in progress and assets of the accused worth Rs 25.16 crore had been attached so far. MSID:: 123064011 413 | Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
KMM Trust received foreign contribution to the tune of ₹220 crore, says ED
A search conducted by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Kochi Zonal Office, revealed that Kunhahmed Musliyar Memorial (KMM) Trust, a charitable organisation, and its chairperson Ibrahim Ahmad Ali, an NRI, had reportedly received a foreign contribution to the tune of ₹220 crore during the period 2021 till date from the latter, which was reflected in the books of accounts as unsecured loans. The search operations were conducted on July 31 under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999 at two locations in Kasaragod in connection with suspected violations of the Act and receipt of foreign contributions by the trust and its chairperson. Though it was reflected in the books of accounts as unsecured loans, no loan agreement, interest rate terms, or repayment schedule was available, and no repayment had been made till date. Mr. Ali received the funds from Universal Lubricants LLC, a company incorporated in UAE. In the absence of supporting documentation and in view of clarification given under Section 2(1)(h) of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010, the said 'loan' prima facie qualifies as foreign contribution under FCRA. Not registered The trust is not registered under the FCRA and does not possess the mandatory permission or a designated FCRA bank account to receive foreign contributions. Further, a part of these foreign contributions were found to have been utilised for the purchase of agricultural land in India, in violation of existing regulations. It was also revealed during the search that the trust had received ₹2.49 crore in cash from the NRI, violating provisions of FEMA, 1999. During the search, incriminating documents, ledger accounts showing unsecured loans of ₹220 crore, the cash book of the trust, and a hard disk containing financial data were seized. The investigation conducted so far indicates contravention of the provisions of FEMA, 1999. Further investigation is under progress, said the ED in a statement.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
In Rs 3,000-Crore Anil Ambani Loan Fraud Case, Probe Agency Makes 1st Arrest
Making its first arrest in connection with the Rs 3,000-crore loan fraud case against companies of Anil Ambani's Reliance Group, the Enforcement Directorate has taken the managing director of a company into custody for submitting fake guarantees worth Rs 68.2 crore, sources said on Saturday. These guarantees, they said, were arranged on behalf of Reliance Power. Partha Sarathi Biswal, managing director of Biswal Tradelink Pvt Ltd, was arrested on Friday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police had filed a first information report (FIR) that Biswal Tradelink - which was founded in 2019 - and its directors submitted fake bank guarantees worth Rs 68.2 crore to the Solar Energy Corporation of India. Sources said investigations revealed that these guarantees were backed by forgeries and fabricated email confirmations - using a spoofed domain, ' which is very close to the domain of the SBI ( The ED found that Biswal Tradelink had fraudulently received Rs 5.4 crore from Reliance Power for arranging the fake guarantees and had been operating at least seven undisclosed bank accounts. The company, the sources said, did not maintain the mandatory records and used dummy directors to sign off on documents. Mr Biswal was produced before a special court, which granted ED his custody till Wednesday. The news of the arrest comes a day after a lookout circular was issued against Anil Ambani in connection with the bank fraud case. The ED has been investigating the alleged diversion of around Rs 3,000 crore in loans given to Reliance Group companies by YES Bank between 2017 and 2019. The agency had found that the promoters of the bank had also received payments just before the loans were sanctioned, indicating a quid pro quo arrangement. The agency had started raids at over 50 firms connected to the case on July 24 and continued them for at least three days. The raids were conducted under PMLA. In a communication to stock exchanges on the raids, Reliance Power had said, "The media reports appear to pertain to allegations concerning transactions of Reliance Communications Limited (RCOM) or Reliance Home Finance Limited (RHFL) which are over 10 years old."
