Six sites in Kolkata were searched by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is looking into a purported case of fraud using a mobile gaming application. On Saturday, 10th September 2022, an ED team raided the offices of businessman Aamir Khan in Kolkata’s Garden Reach area with the help of bank authorities. The raids were conducted in connection with the fraud app named E-Nuggets, through which thousands of people had lost huge amounts of money.
The ED recovered a huge stash of cash during the raid, and the counting of the cash continued till late in the evening. According to reports, the team seized more than Rs 18 crores after the counting of the currency notes was over. Cash counting devices were brought in to determine the precise quantity of cash collected during the raid. Several trunks arrived at the businessman’s home to transport the seized funds. In the wake of the ED raid at the businessman’s home, central forces have increased their presence in the region.
UPDATE | #Kolkata: #ED raids underway at a businessman’s premises in connection with a money laundering case. Over 50 crores cash recovered and being counted by ED officials during the searches in Kolkata related to mobile gaming app fraud case. Counting is still on. https://t.co/gBYSwcZOJu pic.twitter.com/fQJLOALiHm
— Subodh Kumar (@kumarsubodh_) September 10, 2022
Bundles of notes were stored in various places in Aamir Khan’s house, including under the bed. The house located at Garden Reach where the stash of cash was found belongs to Nasir Ahmed Khan, father of main accused Aamir Khan.
Aamir Khan and other people were suspected of scamming users of the mobile game software E-Nuggets, and Federal Bank officials filed a complaint against them under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). About the mobile gaming app, ED said in a press release, “During the initial period, the users were rewarded with the commission and the balance in the wallet could be withdrawn hassle-free. This provided initial confidence among users, and they started investing bigger amounts for a greater percentage of commission and a greater number of purchase orders.”
The ED described the suspected fraudsters’ method of operation in that press release. It said, “Further, after collecting the handsome amount from the public, all of a sudden, the withdrawal from the said App, was stopped, at one or the other pretext viz. system upgradation, an investigation by LEAs, etc. Thereafter, all data including profile information was wiped off from the said App servers and only then the users understood the ploy.”
This is the third incident of huge stash of cash found in Kolkata in recent times. Earlier, the ED had recovered more than Rs 50 crore in cash and other valuables from Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide of TMC leader and former minister Partha Chatterjee. It is believed that the cash is proceeds of the SSC recruitment scam in education department when Partha Chatterjee was the minister.
