Chennai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced on Saturday that it had arrested four individuals from Pallipattu town in Tiruvallur district for their involvement in cyber fraud. The accused, identified as Tamilarasan Kuppan, Prakash, Aravindan, and Ajith, were found to have established shell companies and opened bank accounts to launder money acquired from cyber fraud activities. The ED conducted searches in Tiruvallur after discovering a suspicious transaction of 2.6 crore through a bank account, leading to the subsequent arrests. The accused have been granted four-day custody by the Bengaluru court for ED cases. The group was found to be connected to Chinese scammers via a WhatsApp group, through which they facilitated the laundering of proceeds generated from cyber frauds using shell companies. Specifically, Tamilarasan, along with Ajith, Prakash, and Aravindan, operated a syndicate that provided support to cyber fraudsters by setting up dummy directors, addresses, and documents for shell companies. The agency uncovered an account containing 2.8 crore linked to a shell company called Cyberforest Technology Private Limited in Bandhan Bank. This case involves the defrauding of a businessman in Jaipur by Chinese fraudsters posing as government agencies. The ED's investigation was initiated based on multiple FIRs filed by state police nationwide and led to the identification of the illicit transactions in Tiruvallur. Prior to this, the ED had arrested Shashi Kumar M, Sachin M, Kiran S K, and Charan Raj in Bengaluru. The agency has conducted 17 searches in connection with the case, seizing various incriminating materials such as mobile phones.Investigation conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 has revealed that proceeds exceeding 28 crore were 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) announced that Tamilarasan Kuppan, Prakash, Aravindan, and Ajith were alleged to have established shell companies and utilized bank accounts to launder illicit funds acquired from various cyber fraud activities. Subsequent to conducting searches pertaining to a suspicious bank transaction amounting to 2.6 crore in Tiruvallur, the ED arrested the aforementioned individuals and secured a four-day custody extension from the Bengaluru court handling ED cases. The culprits were associated with a WhatsApp group involving Chinese scammers, and aided in the laundering of fraud proceeds through shell companies. The ED seized approximately 2.8 crore from an account linked to a shell company named Cyberforest Technology Private Limited in Bandhan Bank. This case revolves around fraudulent activities conducted by Chinese perpetrators who impersonated government agencies to deceive a businessman in Jaipur for 2.6 crore. The ED's investigation was initiated based on multiple FIRs filed by state police across India, ultimately leading to the discovery of illicit transactions in Tiruvallur. Previous arrests made by the ED in Bengaluru included individuals named Shashi Kumar M, Sachin M, Kiran S K, and Charan Raj in August.Up to this point, 17 searches have been carried out and incriminating material, such as mobile phones and other digital devices, has been seized. The ongoing investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, has uncovered proceeds exceeding 28 crore arising from cyber scams.