New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday said that they have arrested Kunal Gupta, owner and Director of Met Technologies Pvt Ltd., under Section 19 of PMLA.

He was produced before a special PMLA court which remanded him to ED custody till September 22.

The ED initiated PMLA investigation based on an FIR registered by Bidhannagar Police alleging serious offenses, including cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy under various sections of the IPC, against Met Technologies Pvt. Ltd and its associates.

The ensuing investigation unearthed an illegal call center run by the company in Salt Lake, Kolkata, engaging in fraudulent activities both domestically and internationally, which was subsequently sealed by Police

ED investigation revealed that the representatives of the said company targeted gullible residents in USA, UK, and Australia. Posing as representatives of legitimate businesses, they defrauded individuals through bogus tech support offers, deceptive website sales, and sham loan offers via counterfeit mobile apps, coercing victims into substantial payments.

"Gupta is also suspected to be involved in illegal betting and online gambling activities. It is also revealed that he has established companies in UK, US, Australia. It is also gathered that two of his UK based companies have been levied huge penalties by Ofcom, the Telecom Regulator of UK, an illegal practice of switching a consumer's telephone service provider without consent," said the official.

The ED investigation revealed that the laundered money was funnelled into the hospitality sector—including hotels, clubs, and cafes—as a ploy to legitimise the illicit funds.

Further investigation into the matter is ongoing.