Sat Sep 14 20:40:00 UTC 2024: ## ED Arrests Four in Tamil Nadu for Cybercrime Scam Involving Impersonation of CBI and Delhi Police

**New Delhi, September 14:** The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made four fresh arrests in Tamil Nadu in connection with a cybercrime case where the accused allegedly impersonated CBI and Delhi Police officers to defraud people of crores of rupees.

The arrested individuals, identified as Tamilarasan Kuppan (29), Prakash (26), Aravindan I (23) and Ajith (28), were apprehended on Friday from Pallipattu in Tamil Nadu under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). They were subsequently remanded to four days of ED custody by a special court.

The arrests are linked to a cyber fraud case registered in Bengaluru involving Rs 2.6 crore. The ED had previously arrested four individuals in this case last month from Bengaluru, who are currently in judicial custody.

According to the ED, the arrested individuals were involved in creating shell companies and opening bank accounts, which were used to launder the proceeds of the cybercrime.

The money laundering case stems from various police FIRs filed across different states, including one by the Cyber Police in Jaipur in September.

In the Jaipur case, the victim received a call from an individual claiming to be from the “Bombay Customs office” who alleged illegal goods were being sent abroad under the victim’s name. The victim was then pressured to make a “fund legalisation” payment as security, ultimately losing Rs 2.16 crore to the fraudsters in three separate installments.

The victim subsequently received calls from individuals claiming to be a CBI officer and a DCP in the Delhi Police, further pressuring them to part with their life savings and investments, amounting to Rs 2.16 crore.

The ED has frozen Rs 2.8 crore worth of funds held in a Bandhan Bank account belonging to “shell company” Cyberforest Technology Private Limited, where the victim’s money was transferred.

The investigation revealed that a WhatsApp group was used by the four accused along with Chinese scammers. Tamilarasan was allegedly in contact with these scammers to siphon off the Rs 2.8 crore frozen in the Bandhan Bank account.

The ED has conducted 17 searches in this cyber scam so far, identifying Rs 28 crore worth of proceeds of crime.

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