ED Seizes Assets Worth ₹7.31 Crore in Alleged Punjab-Based Call Centre Scam
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached immovable assets valued at ₹7.31 crore in connection with an ongoing probe into a fake call centre racket. The seized properties are located in Ludhiana and Mohali, Punjab. The action was taken under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The investigation stems from an FIR filed by Punjab Police under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, and the Information Technology Act, 2000. Key suspects in the case include Ankush Bassi, Piyush Malik, Gurmeet Singh Gandhi, and others, who allegedly operated fraudulent call centres that impersonated customer support agents to target foreign nationals.
According to the ED, the accused lured overseas victims into buying gift cards and Virtual Digital Assets (VDAs) by pretending to offer technical assistance. These were then monetised in India through cryptocurrency exchanges. The illicit earnings were routed through multiple bank accounts belonging to the accused and their relatives in an attempt to conceal the money trail.
Investigators found that the laundered funds were ultimately invested in acquiring high-value real estate assets in Punjab.
The ED confirmed that further inquiries are underway to track the complete financial trail and identify all entities involved.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
