Gujarat Cyber Scam: Digital Arrests Uncovered

The Enforcement Directorate filed a chargesheet against five individuals in Gujarat for a digital crime scheme worth over Rs 100 crore. The scheme involved impersonating law enforcement to extort money, which was laundered into cryptocurrency. A sixth suspect remains at large, suspected of holding the illicit gains.

In a breakthrough move, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced on Wednesday that it had filed a chargesheet against five Gujarat-based individuals. These individuals are accused of orchestrating a complex digital crime web, generating illicit funds worth over Rs 100 crore.

The federal agency's Surat sub-zonal office placed the prosecution complaint before a special PMLA court in Ahmedabad on November 27. Among those named in the chargesheet are Makbul Abdul Rehman Doctor and his son Kaashif, alongside Mahesh Mafatlal Desai, Om Rajendra Pandya, and Mitesh Gokulbhai Thakkar.

The ED revealed that the accused duped people nationwide through cyber fraud, involving fake law enforcement notices and digital arrests. This money was converted to cryptocurrency, still largely unaccounted for, as a sixth culprit remains elusive abroad.

(With inputs from agencies.)