The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Chennai announced on Saturday the arrest of four individuals from Pallipattu town in Tiruvallur district for their involvement in cyber fraud. The accused - Tamilarasan Kuppan, aged 29, Prakash, aged 26, Aravindan, aged 23, and Ajith, aged 28 - were found to have established shell companies and opened bank accounts to facilitate the laundering of money obtained through various cyber fraud activities.
Following an operation in Tiruvallur related to a suspicious bank transaction amounting to 2.6 crore, the ED apprehended the quartet. The Bengaluru court handling ED matters granted the agency a four-day custody of the accused for further investigation.
According to the investigation agency, the group collaborated with Chinese scammers via a WhatsApp group to assist in the laundering of funds from cyber fraud schemes through shell companies. Tamilarasan, supported by Ajith, Prakash, and Aravindan, managed a syndicate that provided fake directors, addresses, and documentation for shell companies. They also coordinated with bank officials to open accounts for the illegal proceeds.
One key bank account with a balance of 2.8 crore under the name of a shell company called Cyberforest Technology Private Limited at Bandhan Bank was frozen by the agency. The case originated from the victimization of a Jaipur-based businessman by Chinese fraudsters posing as government officials, resulting in a loss of 2.6 crore. Detectives from Jaipur cybercrime unit first filed a case in early September.
The ED's involvement in this investigation stemmed from multiple FIRs filed by state police nationwide, ultimately leading them to Tiruvallur. In a previous operation in Bengaluru, the ED arrested Shashi Kumar M, Sachin M, Kiran S K, and Charan Raj. Conducting a total of 17 searches, the agency seized various incriminating materials including mobile phones and digital devices.Electronic devices. An investigation under PMLA, 2002 has so far uncovered proceeds exceeding 28 crore obtained from cyber scams. Following the arrest of four individuals from Pallipattu town in Tiruvallur district for their involvement in cyber fraud, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) disclosed that the accused individuals - Tamilarasan Kuppan, 29, Prakash, 26, Aravindan, 23, and Ajith, 28 - established shell companies and opened bank accounts to launder the illicit gains derived from various cyber fraud activities. ED conducted searches in Tiruvallur related to a suspicious bank account transaction of 2.6 crore before apprehending the suspects, who have been granted four-day custody by the Bengaluru court for ED cases.
The group was associated with a WhatsApp group comprising Chinese scammers and operated under their instructions to facilitate the laundering of illicit funds obtained from cyber frauds through shell companies. According to the investigation agency, Tamilarasan collaborated with Ajith, Prakash, and Aravindan to organize the setup of shell companies with dummy directors, addresses, and documents to launder money earned from cyber frauds. Notably, the agency froze an account belonging to a shell company named Cyberforest Technology Private Limited in Bandhan Bank with a deposit of 2.8 crore. This particular case involves the fraudulent activity targeting a Jaipur businessman for 2.6 crore by Chinese impostors posing as various central government agencies, prompting the Jaipur cybercrime police to file a case in early September.
ED initiated this investigation by examining various FIRs filed by state police across the country, eventually tracing the transaction to Tiruvallur. Previously, ED had arrested four individuals in August in Bengaluru in connection with similar fraudulent activities.Up to this point, 17 searches have been carried out, resulting in the seizure of incriminating material such as mobile phones and other digital devices. The investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 has revealed proceeds exceeding 28 crore obtained from cyber scams.
