Gujarat: ED files chargesheet against 5 in digital arrest case

New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday said it has filed a chargesheet against five Gujarat-based accused who allegedly cheated people through "digital arrests" and generated illicit funds worth more than Rs 100 crore.

The prosecution complaint was filed by the federal probe agency's Surat sub-zonal office before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ahmedabad on November 27.

The accused named in the chargesheet are Makbul Abdul Rehman Doctor, his son Kaashif Makbul Doctor, Mahesh Mafatlal Desai, Om Rajendra Pandya and Mitesh Gokulbhai Thakkar, the ED said in a statement.

All of them except Thakkar were arrested by the ED in October.

A sixth accused, Bassam Doctor (son of Makbul Abdul Rehman Doctor), is "absconding" and staying in an Arab country. He is suspected by the ED to be the "ultimate recipient" of the proceeds of crime received through cryptocurrency wallets.

"The accused, in connivance with others, generated proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 104.15 crore by defrauding gullible people across the country through multiple cyber frauds," the agency said.

Describing the modus operandi, it alleged that Makbul Doctor, his sons and others used to share forex trading and stock market investment tips, undertake digital arrests and sent fake notices in the name of law enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies like the ED, TRAI, CBI etc., apart from the Supreme Court.

The accused had set up a fake police station with uniformed personnel to make online video calls to extort money through digital arrests, the ED has found.

Digital arrest is the name given to a type of cyber crime where criminals impersonate police or investigating agency officers and extort money from the victims, threatening them with consequences of arrest or prosecution.

There have been numerous instances in the country where people have been cheated through this mode of cyber crime and in a few cases, the victims have even ended their lives after losing their hard-earned money.

According to the ED, the accused issued fake challans as acknowledgement of the fees and penalties paid by the victims.

The money extorted from the victims was withdrawn in cash from bank accounts that were opened using the KYC details of some known persons, the probe has found.

This cash was converted into cryptocurrency through hawala operators, according to the ED.

"An analysis of bank accounts found that for living a lavish lifestyle, crores of rupees were spent through e-commerce or online transactions," the agency said. PTI NES RC