ED conducts raids at 11 sites in ₹260 crore global cyber fraud case

ED searches 11 locations in Delhi, Noida, Gurugram and Dehradun in ₹260 crore cyber fraud case involving fake law enforcement calls, tech support scams and crypto laundering via UAE hawala

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Wednesday launched extensive search operations at 11 locations across Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, and Dehradun in connection with a multi-crore global cyber fraud investigation, according to sources.

 

The probe, being conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), was initiated on the basis of FIRs registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Delhi Police. 

According to ED sources, the fraud involved both foreign and Indian nationals who were allegedly duped by cybercriminals posing as law enforcement officers. Victims were coerced into transferring funds under threat of arrest. In a parallel scam, fraudsters also posed as technical support agents from global tech giants Microsoft and Amazon, convincing victims to hand over control of their devices and siphoning off funds. 

 

The proceeds of the crimes, amounting to approximately Rs 260 crore, were allegedly converted into cryptocurrencies, primarily Bitcoins. These digital assets were routed through multiple crypto wallets and subsequently converted into USDT (Tether), a stablecoin, via hawala networks operating in the UAE. 

 

“The modus operandi included advanced impersonation techniques and international fund transfers to obfuscate the money trail,” said an ED source. “The operation today aims to uncover more details about the network of individuals and entities involved in laundering the proceeds.”

 

In a separate case in June 2025, the ED conducted searches in Gujarat and Maharashtra as part of a money laundering investigation linked to fraudsters who allegedly committed cyber crimes such as “digital arrests” and transferred over Rs 100 crore abroad, official sources said.

 

The raids in that case were conducted in Surat and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, and in Mumbai, by the Surat sub-zonal office of the federal probe agency under the PMLA. The money laundering case stems from a Gujarat Police FIR against Makbul Doctor, Kaashif Doctor, Bassam Doctor, Mahesh Mafatlal Desai, Maaz Abdul Raheem Nada, and others, the sources said.

 

The accused were alleged to have cheated members of the public through various cyber frauds such as fake USDT trading (cryptocurrency), digital arrests, and threatening individuals by sending fake notices from law enforcement agencies. The money obtained from victims was collected in bank accounts opened using the KYC details of dummy persons or forged documents, they added.