Hyderabad: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Hyderabad raided six places in Ahmedabad. These actions are part of a money laundering case where individuals pretended to be US government officials to scam American citizens.
During the raids, ED officials discovered cryptocurrency worth USD 12,000 linked to the main suspect, Aqib Ghulam Rasool Ghanchi. They secured this cryptocurrency in their official wallet. Additionally, they seized Rs 13.5 lakh in cash, important digital evidence, and froze 31 bank accounts and one bank locker.
The investigation began based on complaints by Cyberabad Police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Delhi. They found that the suspects ran a fake call center targeting foreigners, mainly US citizens.
These operators posed as US government agents. They threatened victims by claiming they had unpaid loans or tax issues, forcing them to buy gift cards or make digital payments.
The money from the scam was mostly taken as Amazon gift cards. These were then converted into cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and moved to India using hawala operators.
Besides Ghanchi, the ED identified other suspects, including Mohammed Ansari, Vikas K Nimar, Divyang Raval, and Pradeep V Rathod. The investigation continues to track the money flow and find more people involved.
