Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Zonal Office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at six locations in Ahmedabad in connection with a money laundering investigation related to a scam in which US citizens were allegedly cheated by persons posing as American government officials.
During the searches, ED officials from Hyderabad traced cryptocurrency worth USD 12,000 from the prime accused, Aqib Ghulam Rasool Ghanchi, and transferred it to the ED’s official crypto wallet.
The agency also seized Rs 13.5 lakh in cash, recovered crucial digital evidence, and froze 31 bank accounts along with one bank locker.
The ED initiated the probe based on FIRs registered by the Cyberabad Police and the Delhi unit of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Investigations revealed that the accused were operating a fake call centre targeting foreign nationals, particularly citizens of the United States.
According to officials, call centre operators would contact victims while impersonating US government authorities.
They allegedly threatened the victims with claims of pending loans or tax evasion cases, coercing them into purchasing gift cards or making digital payments.
The proceeds of crime were primarily collected in the form of Amazon gift cards, which were later redeemed and converted into cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. The funds were subsequently transferred to India through hawala operators, the ED said.
Apart from Aqib Ghanchi, the agency identified Mohammed Ansari, Vikas K Nimar, Divyang Raval, and Pradeep V Rathod, among others, as key accused in the case.
Further investigation into the money trail and the involvement of additional suspects is currently underway.
