New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested four individuals in connection with a money laundering investigation tied to multiple cybercrime cases involving over Rs 100 crore, officials said on Friday.
The accused — Makbul Abdul Rehman Doctor, Kaashif Makbul Doctor, Mahesh Mafatlal Desai, and Om Rajendra Pandya — were taken into custody under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. They were produced before the Special PMLA Court in Ahmedabad, which granted the ED five-day custody to continue the investigation.
The ED’s Surat sub-zonal office initiated the probe based on a First Information Report filed by the Special Operation Group of Surat Police on October 15, 2024, under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023. The FIR named Makbul Doctor and others in connection with multiple cyber frauds, including fake digital arrests, forex trading scams, and intimidation of victims through counterfeit notices purportedly from the Supreme Court of India and the ED.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the accused laundered proceeds of crime exceeding Rs 100 crore. The ED stated that they opened bank accounts in the names of employees, associates, and hired personnel to collect and consolidate the illicit funds. Pre-activated SIM cards were also reportedly obtained to operate these accounts.
The agency further revealed that the accused converted part of the laundered money into cryptocurrency (USDT) and routed cash through various ‘hawala operators’ to evade regulatory scrutiny. The investigation is ongoing.
