The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) discovered cryptocurrency worth $12,000 and unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 13.5 lakh during searches at six locations in Ahmedabad. The ED’s Hyderabad Zonal Office conducted these operations on February 4 under PMLA, 2002. The investigation was launched based on FIRs filed by Cyberabad police and CBI, IOD, New Delhi, concerning organized cyber fraud and impersonation.
Illegal call centers were found to be set up and run by individuals like Mohammed Ansari alias Mohd Irfan Ansari, Akib Gulamrasul Ghanchi, Vikas K Kumar, Divyang Raval, and Pradip V Rathod, along with their associates. These call centers, operating from various places, were controlled by a common group using shared technical infrastructure, trained staff, call scripts, and a centralized money-handling system, according to the agency.
The probe revealed that the call center operators posed as US Government officials or representatives of private firms, coercing victims into buying gift cards or making digital payments by falsely claiming non-payment of loan dues, tax obligations, or legal consequences. The illicit funds generated were mainly obtained through Amazon gift cards and then converted into cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin, using platforms like Paxful and other unlawful channels, with the aid of foreign nationals.
Cryptocurrency worth around $12,000 was seized from one of the main suspects, Akib Ghanchi, during the searches and transferred to ED’s crypto wallet. Additionally, unaccounted cash totaling Rs 13.5 lakh was confiscated. The searches also led to the recovery of incriminating documents, digital devices with crucial data, and the freezing of 31 bank accounts and a bank locker linked to the accused and their entities.
The operations unveiled that the accused had been involved in such criminal acts for a significant period, amassing substantial assets under their names, family members, and proxies using the illicit funds. It was disclosed that the group is still actively engaged in similar fraudulent activities through the same methods. The ED mentioned that the investigation is ongoing.
