The Enforcement Directorate (ED) apprehended two chartered accountants linked to a Rs 641 crore cyber fraud scheme involving the deceitful transfer of funds under the guise of investment opportunities and part-time job offers. The arrested individuals, Chartered Accountant (CA) Ashok Kumar Sharma and CA Bhaskar Yadav, were taken into custody by the ED Headquarters Unit in New Delhi on February 28, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
A total of 10 individuals, including Ashok Kumar Sharma and Bhaskar Yadav, have been arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation. The ED has issued two provisional attachment orders (PAOs) seizing movable and immovable properties worth nearly Rs 8.67 crore. Additionally, two charge sheets have been filed before the Special PMLA Court, which has acknowledged the charges.
The ED’s probe uncovered a significant cyber-enabled fraud where unsuspecting citizens nationwide were tricked into transferring funds through various deceptive means. The laundered proceeds, amounting to around Rs 641 crore, were initially funneled into mule accounts managed by certain Telegram groups and then dispersed through a network of dummy entities across India to obscure the money’s origins.
