Daijiworld Media Network - Chandigarh
Chandigarh, Oct 7: The Enforcement Directorate’s Chandigarh unit has attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs 2.85 crore in connection with a cyber fraud case, in which foreign nationals were cheated for Rs 11.50 crore by a Haryana gang posing as Bank of America employees, officials said on Tuesday.
On September 30, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, the ED seized the assets tied to the accused, led by Vikramjeet Singh. An FIR was registered by Haryana Police following a complaint from a U.S. citizen alleging that Singh and his accomplices hacked into computers, posing as Bank of America staff, to defraud victims.
Investigators found that Singh, along with Anchal Mittal and others, orchestrated a fake call centre operation. Funds misappropriated from victims—totalling Rs 11.54 crore—were used to buy cryptocurrency, which was later liquidated and laundered through multiple bank accounts linked to the gang’s relatives and shell entities.
Some of the proceeds were also converted into cash and used to purchase property. The ED traced two immovable assets worth Rs 1.26 crore in the names of Singh’s parents, Sarita Devi and Jasbir Singh. Additionally, bank accounts and fixed deposits worth Rs 1.58 crore were attached.
Earlier, on July 29, ED teams raided residences of Singh and associates, seizing digital devices, documents, and freezing bank accounts holding Rs 43.58 lac.
The probe continues as authorities dig deeper into the money trail, uncovering further links and accomplices in the cross-border cyber fraud.