Days after conducting searches and facing resistance from local villagers, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested four youths from Pallipattu in Tiruvallur district for their involvement in a major cyber fraud. This follows the arrest of four individuals in Bengaluru.
In a release on September 14, the ED announced the arrests of Tamilarasan Kuppan, Prakash, Aravindan I, and Ajith under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on September 13. The accused are alleged to have posed as CBI and Delhi Police officers to defraud individuals of crores of rupees.
ED officials from Bengaluru arrived in Mottur village, Pallipattu, on September 12, sparking curiosity among locals as it was revealed that the arrested individuals had substantial financial transactions in their bank accounts. The four were subsequently arrested the following day.
On September 12, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a search in Mottur village near Pallipattu related to a suspicious bank transaction of Rs 2.6 crore, leading to the arrest of four youths. The accused have been granted four-day custody by a Bengaluru court.
The arrested individuals were part of a WhatsApp group with Chinese scammers and operated under the direction of these Chinese handlers. They were involved in laundering money through shell companies by opening bank accounts and providing dummy directors, addresses, and documents for these companies. The four also allegedly met with bank officials to facilitate the opening of accounts used for laundering proceeds from cyber crimes.
ED has arrested 04 persons namely Tamilarasan Kuppan, Prakash, Aravindan I and Ajith on 13.09.2024 from Pallipattu, Tamil Nadu in a case related to cyber fraud of Rs. 2.6 Crore by a cyber fraudster Posing as a CBI Officer. The Hon’ble Special Court, Bengaluru has granted ED…
— ED (@dir_ed) September 14, 2024
The money laundering case involves FIRs filed in several states, including a September complaint by cyber police in Jaipur. According to the Rajasthan FIR, the victim received a call from someone posing as an official from the “Bombay Customs office.” The caller claimed that illegal goods were being shipped abroad under the victim’s name and demanded a ‘fund legalisation’ payment to clear the victim of any wrongdoing.
The ED reported that the fraudsters demanded Rs 2.16 crore be transferred in three separate instalments into different accounts provided by the caller. Additionally, the victim was contacted by individuals posing as a CBI officer and a DCP from the Delhi Police. Under pressure from these fake officials, the victim was coerced into transferring his entire life savings and investments, totaling Rs 2.16 crore.
The ED took up the case based on FIRs registered across the country and traced suspicious transactions to Tiruvallur. They discovered a substantial deposit of Rs 2.8 crore frozen in a bank account of the shell company, M/s Cyber Forest Technology Private Limited, at Bandhan Bank. To date, the ED has conducted 17 searches related to the cyber scam and identified Rs 28 crore in proceeds of crime.
The ED reported that a WhatsApp group, involving the four accused and Chinese scammers, facilitated the fraud. Tamilarasan was in direct contact with these Chinese cyber fraudsters to manage the Rs 2.8 crore frozen in Bandhan Bank. The four individuals, who were previously employed at private companies, left their jobs to assist the scammers, seeking to amass wealth quickly.
