Chennai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced on Saturday the arrest of four individuals from Pallipattu town in Tiruvallur district for their involvement in cyber fraud. The accused individuals, Tamilarasan Kuppan (29), Prakash (26), Aravindan (23), and Ajith (28), were found to have set up shell companies and opened bank accounts to launder money obtained from cyber fraud activities. Following a transaction of 2.6 crore through a suspicious bank account in Tiruvallur, the ED conducted searches before apprehending the suspects. A court in Bengaluru has granted the ED a four-day custody of the accused. These individuals were part of a WhatsApp group comprising Chinese scammers, and they assisted in laundering money earned from cyber frauds through shell companies. The syndicate, led by Tamilarasan with the help of Ajith, Prakash, and Aravindan, facilitated cyber fraudsters by providing dummy directors, addresses, and documents for shell companies. The agency also froze an account holding a deposit of 2.8 crore under the name of a shell company called Cyberforest Technology Private Limited at Bandhan Bank. The case involves the scamming of a businessman in Jaipur for 2.6 crore by Chinese fraudsters impersonating various central government agencies. The Jaipur cybercrime police initiated a case in early September which prompted ED's involvement based on multiple FIRs nationwide, leading to the identification of the suspects in Tiruvallur. Previous arrests in a similar case were made in Bengaluru involving four individuals. ED has conducted 17 searches and seized incriminating materials, including mobile phones and digital devices.Electronic devices have been used to carry out cyber scams, leading to the identification of proceeds exceeding 28 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. Following the arrest of four youths from Pallipattu town in Tiruvallur district for their involvement in cyber fraud, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced that the accused individuals, Tamilarasan Kuppan (29), Prakash (26), Aravindan (23), and Ajith (28), established shell companies and set up bank accounts to launder the illegally obtained funds from various cyber scams. With the Bengaluru court granting a four-day custody of the accused to the ED, it was revealed that the group collaborated with Chinese scammers through a WhatsApp group to assist in the money laundering process by utilizing dummy directors, addresses, and falsified documents for their shell companies. One of the frozen accounts, holding a deposit of 2.8 crore in the name of a shell company called Cyberforest Technology Private Limited, was identified at Bandhan Bank. This case unfolded from a scam where Chinese fraudsters posed as government agencies and duped a Jaipur businessman of 2.6 crore, resulting in the registration of a case by Jaipur cybercrime police. The ED's investigation, initiated through several FIRs filed by state police nationwide, implicated the defendants after tracing the illicit transaction to Tiruvallur. Prior to this incident, the ED had apprehended Shashi Kumar M, Sachin M, Kiran S K, and Charan Raj in Bengaluru in August.To date, 17 searches have been carried out, resulting in the confiscation of evidence such as mobile phones and other digital devices. The ongoing investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 has uncovered proceeds totaling over 28 crore originating from cyber scams.