The Enforcement Directorate’s Jalandhar Zonal Office conducted search operations in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Assam under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The searches, held on December 22 at 11 locations, led to the recovery of incriminating documents and digital devices.
The ED’s investigation began following an FIR by the Ludhiana Cyber Crime Police Station under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Subsequently, nine more FIRs related to cybercrime and digital arrest cases were added to the probe.
Fraudsters, posing as CBI officers, used fake documents to “arrest” industrialist S.P. Oswal digitally, coercing him to transfer Rs 7 crore. The ED traced and recovered Rs 5.24 crore, with the rest channeled through mule accounts and withdrawn in cash. Rumi Kalita’s involvement in diverting and layering the funds was revealed during the searches.
Rumi Kalita, arrested under the PMLA, received transit remand for four days and was granted ED custody for 10 days. Earlier searches in January 2025 had yielded incriminating evidence. The investigation is ongoing.
