The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday recovered over Rs 17 crore during the raids at six premises linked to a Kolkata-based businessman. A total of eight machines have been brought to count the cash. It carried out search operations under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on September 10 in connection with an ongoing probe related to the mobile gaming application.
The raids pertain to a case registered in Park Street Police Station against Aamir Khan and others, based on a complaint filed by Federal Bank authorities, in the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Calcutta.
The accused, Aamir Khan, the son of Nesar Ahmed Khan, is a transport businessman. The ED has claimed that Aamir launched a mobile gaming application namely E-Nuggets, which was designed for the purpose of defrauding the public.
During the initial period, the users were rewarded with commission and the balance in the wallet could be withdrawn hassle-free. This provided initial confidence among users, and they started investing bigger amounts for greater percentage of commission and a greater number of purchase orders, the ED said.
Further, after collecting a handsome amount from the public, all of a sudden, the withdrawal from the said App, was stopped, at one or the other pretext viz. system upgradation, investigation by LEAs etc. Thereafter, all data including profile information was wiped off from the said app servers and only then the users understood the ploy, the agency added.
During the search operation, the ED noticed that the said entities were using dummy accounts.
Though no political connection has emerged so far, the slugfest already began between Bengal’s ruling party TMC and its opposition BJP.
When around Rs 7 crores were recovered by the ED from the businessman initially, West Bengal minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim had said, “What agency is trying to do? Do they want to act as Gabbar and make this place as Ramgarh? That’s the big question? The ED is raiding a businessman’s house. They are trying to demotivate businessmen. If they get something then that’s different but this is a ploy to demotivate businessmen of Kolkata”.
The BJP, on the other hand, said if anybody is the culprit then law will take its course. “Counting is still on and again the entire Kolkata now on note counting mode,” the party said. BJP leader Rahul Sinha said, “Why has Firhad Hakim problem? Does that mean the thieves have relation with him . Why is he concerned?”
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “Bengal has a huge amount of money. If you go inside any TMC leaders’ house, you will get money.”
In July this year, cash worth nearly Rs 50 crore, gold, property documents and foreign currency were recovered from then West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee’s aide Arpita Chatterjee.
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