In a shocking incident on Thursday, an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team conducting a raid in connection with a cyber fraud case was attacked in Delhi’s Bijwasan area. The ED team was targeting a chartered accountant (CA) as part of their probe into a massive cybercrime syndicate involved in various fraud schemes. During the operation, one of the officers, an additional director of the ED, suffered minor injuries when the team was allegedly attacked by the suspect, Ashok Sharma, and his family.
The attack occurred at a farmhouse, where the suspect and his associates confronted the officers, leaving one member of the team hurt. Following the incident, the injured officer received immediate first aid and continued with the searches. Officials confirmed that the premises were secured and a First Information Report (FIR) had been filed. A manhunt is underway to locate the assailants.
The raid was part of a larger investigation led by the ED’s High-Intensity Unit (HIU), focusing on a network responsible for laundering funds derived from cybercrimes. The investigation uncovered that illicit money was generated through several frauds, including phishing scams, QR code frauds, and part-time job scams. The funds were being funneled through multiple accounts before being used for cryptocurrency transactions.
The ED’s operation, aided by the Indian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU-IND) and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), revealed that cybercriminals were utilizing a network of 15,000 mule accounts to launder money. Debit and credit cards were linked to these accounts and subsequently used to transfer funds to virtual accounts hosted by the UAE-based Pyypl Payment Aggregator. From there, the money was funneled into cryptocurrency transactions, further complicating the network’s operations.
The attack on the ED team adds a new layer to the ongoing investigation, which has already targeted several chartered accountants suspected of orchestrating the illicit financial operations. The authorities continue to investigate the network and are working in coordination with other enforcement agencies to dismantle the fraud ring.
The ED’s actions have drawn attention to the increasing sophistication of cybercriminal operations in India and the role of financial professionals in enabling such crimes. Authorities are now focused on dismantling these networks and bringing those responsible to justice.
As the investigation progresses, the ED has vowed to continue its efforts to hold accountable those involved in the illegal operations and to safeguard the public from such crimes.
Sources By Agencies