ED freezes over 100 'mule' accounts, seizes Rs 70 lakh cash in cocaine trafficking case
New Delhi (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate has frozen 110 "mule" bank accounts, seized Rs 70 lakh in cash and found usage of Dubai-based cryptocurrency wallets during searches in a money laundering case linked to alleged drug trafficking in Delhi, a statement said on Sunday.
Mule bank accounts are used to transfer illicit funds and are opened by misusing genuine or using fake customer IDs.
The raids were undertaken on November 14 after the federal probe agency took cognisance of a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) complaint of November 2024 related to the seizure of 82.53 kg of "high-grade" cocaine.
The ED covered five premises in Delhi-NCR and Jaipur during the searches.
The seized party drug was estimated to be worth Rs 900 crore by the NCB and five persons were arrested by the central anti-narcotics agency.
"The searches indicated an online betting and gambling network being operated through mobile-based applications.
"The operation resulted in the freezing of 110 mule bank accounts, including 73 linked with UPI IDs and digital wallets that were actively being used for handling transactions related to the betting operations," the ED statement said.
Some documents and digital devices seized during the searches show the use of Dubai-based cryptocurrency wallets for the transfer of funds, it said.
Rs 70 lakh cash, "incriminating" documents, digital devices and financial records were also seized, the ED said.
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CBI registers fresh case against Reliance Communications, Anil Ambani
New Delhi (PTI): The CBI on Wednesday registered a fresh case against industrialist Anil Ambani and Reliance Communications Ltd for allegedly causing a loss of Rs 3,750 crore to Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India, officials said.
The CBI has filed the case for the alleged offences of conspiracy, cheating and misappropriation and under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act on a complaint from the LIC, making it the fourth case against the company and Anil Ambani, they said.
The agency has alleged that LIC was fraudulently induced to subscribe to Non Convertible Debentures (NCDs) worth Rs. 4500 crore between 2009 and 2012 on the basis of false representations made by Reliance Communications Ltd. and its management regarding the financial health of the company, and security and asset cover offered to LIC while subscribing to the NCDs.
The insurer suffered a loss of over Rs 3,750 crore and ordered a forensic audit against the company.
The forensic audit report dated October 15, 2020, conducted by BDO India LLP, reported that RCOM and its management had resorted to misutilisation of funds raised from banks and financial institutions, routing of funds through subsidiaries, misuse of sale invoice financing, discounting of fictitious bills, systematic siphoning of funds through inter-company deposits/shell related entities, creating and write-off of fictitious debtors and receivables and gross overstatement of security.
It said there was a mismatch between the charges and the assets.
