The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen 150.22 Bitcoins equivalent to Rs 22.82 crore during a search operation at the Binance Crypto Exchange, the agency said on Friday.
The action was taken under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, with respect to an investigation being conducted relating to the Mobile Gaming Application E-nuggets.
The instant case was registered on the basis of the First Information Report registered on February 15, 2021 filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) by Park Street Police Station, Kolkata Police, against Aamir Khan and others, based on a complaint filed by Federal Bank authorities, in the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Calcutta.
The accused Aamir Khan launched a mobile gaming application namely E-Nuggets, which was designed for the purpose of defrauding the public, ED said.
Further, after collecting sizeable amount from the public, the agency said, all of a sudden, the withdrawal from the E-Nuggets App, was stopped, on one pretext or the other.
"Thereafter, all data including profile information was wiped off from the E-Nuggets App servers," the ED said.
It was revealed during investigation that multiple accounts (more than 300) were used to launder the money, it said, adding "proceeds were also used to purchase Crypto currencies".
Earlier during an investigation conducted against Aamir Khan and associates a total of Rs 17.32 crore in cash was found and seized from the residential premises of the accused.
The agency said 85.91870554 Bitcoins equivalent to USD 16,74,255.7 (then valued at Rs 13.56 crore approximately as per market exchange rate) found in balance in Binance Exchange was frozen.
Cryptocurrencies including WRX (utility token of WazirX) and USDT equivalent to Rs 47.64 lakh was frozen in WazirX Accounts, the ED said, adding "an amount of Rs 5.47 crore as found in the bank account of Aamir Khan and his accomplice has been frozen".
Cash amounting to Rs 1.65 crore and 44.5 Bitcoins (then valued at Rs 7.12 crore) were seized and frozen from the residential premises of Romen Agarwal, who was arrested for his active involvement in inter or intra-country transactions related to the transfer of ill-gotten money within and outside the countries received from criminals. He is currently in judicial custody.
During investigations conducted under PMLA so far, an amount of Rs 68.42 crore has been seized and frozen in total.
( With inputs from ANI )
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