ED raids in NCR, Uttarakhand in global cyber fraud case
New Delhi (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted searches at multiple premises in the national capital region and Uttarakhand as part of a money laundering probe linked to a global cyber fraud ring in which Indian and foreign nationals were duped of funds worth crores of rupees, official sources said.
The raids are being conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and are covering at least 11 premises located in Delhi, Noida, Gurugram and Dehradun, the sources said.
Fraudsters based in these cities were "cheating" Indian and foreign nationals by impersonating as police or investigating agency officers and they "extorted" money by threatening them with consequences of arrest, they said.
The fraudsters also impersonated as Microsoft and Amazon technical support service agents to "cheat" the victims.
The agency found that the monetary assets of the victims were converted into crypto currencies and transferred to the accused.
The accused generated about Rs 260 crore in the form of Bitcoins in multiple crypto-wallets, which were further liquidated into cash through conversion into USDTs through multiple hawala operators and individuals based in the UAE, according to agency sources.
The money laundering case stems from FIRs registered by the CBI and the Delhi Police.
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Right to vote under threat, must be made fundamental right: Cong's Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged on Thursday that the right to vote is under threat and the time has come when it should be made a fundamental right for citizens.
Speaking with reporters, Ramesh lashed out at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying the Election Commission (EC) has never been as compromised as it has been under him.
"The rot started under his predecessor. This man is a player and not a neutral observer," the Congress leader said, slamming Kumar.
Kumar is completely compromised and has become a player in elections, he alleged.
"Home Minister Amit Shah had talked about three Ds -- detect, delete and deport. So we want to know how many non-Indian citizens have been detected, how many have been deleted and how many have been deported," Ramesh said, adding that the right to vote is now under threat.
On opposition parties submitting a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to move a motion for the CEC's removal, the Congress leader said they will continue to make efforts for Kumar's removal as he is "compromised".
Ramesh also batted for the right to vote to be recognised as a fundamental right.
"I believe that the time has come that the right to vote should be made a fundamental right. It is a statutory right, it is not a fundamental right. Fundamental rights are justiciable," he said.
The former Union minister said this was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, but it was eventually decided that it should be made part of the Constitution.
B R Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram had warned that in the future, governments might try to disenfranchise voters, he added.
"Once and for all, include the right to vote as a fundamental right for Indian citizens," Ramesh asserted.
