CBI raids 15 locations in online fraud linked to overseas fintech platform
New Delhi (PTI): The CBI has conducted searches at 15 locations across multiple states in connection with a large-scale online financial fraud involving overseas fintech platform 'Pyypl', officials said Thursday.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is now seeking custody of the alleged kingpin of the gang, Ashok Kumar Sharma, a chartered accountant, who was recently arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The case was referred to the CBI by the Union home ministry's anti-cyber crime wing -- I4C. Following this, the agency registered a case and carried out searches on Wednesday in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab, they said.
According to investigators, Sharma was allegedly running a large-scale organised scam involving fraudulent investment schemes, cyber fraud, and illicit cryptocurrency transactions, and part-time job fraud involving offshore withdrawals and overseas fintech platforms from his office in Bijwasan on the Delhi-Gurugram border, which came to be known as the "Bijwasan Group".
The gang allegedly defrauded victims of Rs 900 crore last year alone. The proceeds were routed and laundered through a network of 15 shell companies identified so far, the agency said.
"The CBI conducted coordinated searches at 15 locations across Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in connection with a case related to large-scale organised online investment and part-time job fraud involving offshore withdrawals and overseas fintech platforms, predominantly the Dubai-based 'Pyypl'," an agency spokesperson said in a statement.
"It was alleged that thousands of unsuspecting Indian citizens were cheated of crores of rupees through deceptive online schemes operated by an organised transnational fraud syndicate," she said.
The probe revealed that the network used social media platforms, mobile applications and encrypted messaging services to lure victims with promises of high returns from online investments and part-time job opportunities, the official said.
"The victims were initially induced to deposit small amounts and were shown fictitious profits to gain their trust, after which they were persuaded to invest larger sums," she said.
The defrauded money was then routed through multiple mule bank accounts to conceal the trail and later siphoned off through offshore ATM withdrawals using debit cards enabled for international transactions.
The funds were also diverted through wallet top-ups on overseas fintech platforms, predominantly "Pyypl", using Visa and MasterCard payment networks. These transactions appeared as Point-of-Sale (POS) transactions in banking systems, the agency said.
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Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
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