Officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) collected Rs 17.32 crore from a Kolkata businessman’s home on Saturday as part of an investigation into mobile gaming app fraud, but the individual has since escaped. In connection with a probe into the mobile gambling app, the ED conducted search operations at six sites in Kolkata in accordance with the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
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Based on a complaint by Federal Bank officials, the Park Street Police Station in Kolkata filed a FIR on February 15, 2021, in the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Calcutta, charging Aamir Khan and others with violating Sections 420, 406, 409, 468, 469, 471 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
ED claims that one Amir Khan launched a mobile gaming software called E-Nuggets with the intention of cheating its users out of money. In the beginning, users received commission and could easily withdraw their wallet balances. Users gained trust as a result, and they began making larger investments in exchange for a higher commission rate and more frequent purchases.
In addition, after amassing a sizeable sum from the general public, the App abruptly halted withdrawals under various pretexts (system upgrades, investigations by LEAs, etc.). Once the consumers realised they had been tricked, all data, including personal information, was deleted from the servers housing the aforementioned apps.
Many damning records have been found and confiscated during the search. The key suspect, Aamir Khan, has vanished and cannot be located. Following the search, ED said that they had confiscated Rs 17,32 crore in cash.
In the course of the investigation, further steps are being taken.
(With inputs from ANI)
