Chandigarh: The Directorate of Enforcement’s (ED) Jalandhar zonal office has issued a provisional attachment order in connection with a money laundering investigation related to the digital arrest of S.P. Oswal under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002, wherein the bank balance of Rs 1.76 crore has been attached.
The ED initiated an investigation based on a first information report (FIR) registered by the Cyber Crime Police Station in Ludhiana. Investigation conducted so far revealed that proceeds of crime generated from eight other cybercrimes were also credited in the bank account of Frozenman Warehousing and Logistics on August 28, 2024.
The investigation revealed that during the digital arrest of Oswal, the fraudsters impersonating Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers extorted Rs 7 crore from him. Investigation has revealed that funds were routed through multiple mule accounts operated by the accused, Rumi Kalita and Arpit Rathore.
It was further determined that Kalita established an association with Atanu Choudary and utilised a bank account belonging to his entity, Frozenman Warehousing and Logistics, to launder illicit proceeds.
Funds derived from other cybercrime/digital arrest cases were also credited to the accounts of Frozenman Warehousing and Logistics and Rigglo Ventures Pvt Ltd. The proceeds of crime were subsequently transferred to multiple mule bank accounts in a systematic manner, thereby facilitating their diversion and concealment.
A portion of the proceeds of crime was further layered through various shell entities and routed out of India using trade-based money laundering mechanisms.
The remaining proceeds were utilised to acquire virtual digital assets. The attached bank balance of Rs 1.76 crore was lying in the bank account of one of the mule entities, Mrityunjya Multitrade, and this bank account was used to receive and route proceeds of crime generated from various cybercrimes/digital arrests.
Further investigation has revealed that multiple mule bank accounts were used to launder the proceeds of cybercrime. These mule accounts were opened by luring economically vulnerable individuals with false promises of arranging loans or providing employment.
Earlier, searches were conducted, and accused Rumi Kalita was arrested on December 23, 2025, and accused Arpit Rathore was also arrested on December 31, and both accused are presently under judicial custody.
(IANS)
