Delhi: On July 4, 2023, Lisa Roth from the US received a call from someone claiming to be a “Microsoft agent.” This person instructed her to transfer $400,000 to a cryptocurrency wallet. Unbeknownst to Ms. Roth, she had fallen prey to a cyber scam, resulting in a loss of ₹3.3 crore ($400,000).
A year later, the Enforcement Directorate arrested a bookie and a cryptocurrency handler from Delhi. Lakshya Vij, the bookie residing in Dilshad Garden, East Delhi, came under suspicion when the Gujarat Police arrested him from Cross River Mall in March of the previous year. It was alleged that a senior Delhi Police officer intervened to have him released.
The funds transferred by Ms. Roth ended up in the wallets of Praful Gupta and his mother, Sarita Gupta. During the investigation, it was discovered that Karan Chug was receiving this money from Gupta and depositing it into various wallets.
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The funds were then converted into cryptocurrency, sold, and transferred to multiple bogus Indian accounts on the instructions of Karan and Lakshya. They subsequently used the money for betting on platforms like Fair Play 24.
The probe agency, having registered a money laundering case, conducted raids last month and recovered digital evidence. They also recorded statements from the owners of the crypto wallets involved in the scam.
The investigation revealed that Lakshya was the mastermind behind the fraud. He has been produced in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court and is currently under a 5-day Enforcement Directorate custody.
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