ED attaches Rs 10 crore assets of Bengaluru-based firm in alleged ponzi scam case
New Delhi, Dec 13: Assets worth over Rs 10 crore of a Bengaluru-based firm have been attached under the anti-money laundering law in connection with an alleged 'Islamic banking or halal investment' ponzi scam case, the ED said on Friday.
The accused firm is Ambidant Marketing Pvt Ltd and its promoters and the case of alleged duping of a number of gullible investors had made headlines last year in Karnataka.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said in a statement the case pertains to allegations that the accused firm and its promoters were collecting investments from customers under various plans and Haj/Umrah plan in the name of 'Islamic banking or halal investment' and offering huge returns to the extent of up to 15 per cent per month.
The company was not authorised to collect such funds as it was neither registered with RBI nor with the SEBI under their collective investment scheme, it said.
"The company sold their plans in the form of partnership business with promise of high returns. Initially, to win the trust, it was ensured that customers get back their first instalment as promised," the ED alleged.
The company had hired agents who would convince investors to invest in the plan by giving these agents a heavy commission, it said.
"The company earned the trust of gullible investors and they were lured to invest even more but later returning the money including the principal amount was stopped," the federal probe agency said.
Initially, the company shared profits to the existing investors out of funds obtained from its new investors, the ED added.
"The attached immovable properties are in the form of land and residential flats in various part of Bengaluru. The value of immovable properties attached is Rs 8.8 crore while movable properties totalling Rs 1.4 crore have been attached,"it said.
The total value of the attached assets, as part of a provisional order issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), is Rs 10.2 crore.
The federal probe agency had taken over investigation in the case on the basis of a Bengaluru Police FIR and a charge sheet filed by it in February this year.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
