The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Delhi has arrested a man for duping an American woman of Rs 3.3 crore. The arrest was made on July 22, 2024 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The case started when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered an FIR against several persons for allegedly cheating an American citizen.
The accused allegedly contacted a victim woman from America and convinced her to transfer her investments from a bank account to a cryptocurrency account. According to the information, the accused told the woman that her current account was unsafe.
He gained unauthorized access to the woman’s computer and opened a cryptocurrency account in her name. The accused then convinced the woman to transfer US$400,000 to this account. When the victim later checked, she found that her money had disappeared.
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Crypto wallets used for transactions
ED investigation has revealed that the stolen money was transferred through several cryptocurrency wallets and then converted into Indian currency. This money was then distributed through payment aggregators into several bank accounts held by dummy entities and individuals.
On June 6, 2024, ED conducted a search operation and collected digital evidence related to the case. Statements of people whose wallets were used in the transactions were also recorded.
Evidence revealed that a cryptocurrency handler named Lakshya Vij was the main person who directed the transfers using WhatsApp groups. Accused Vij was arrested for his role in the scam. He was produced before the Special Court (PMLA) in New Delhi on July 23 and the court granted five days’ custody to the ED for further investigation.