The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has called for strict action against the fraudulent gaming app, E-nuggets and its sponsor and businessman, Aamir Khan.
ED started its probe into the matter following a First Information Report filed to Kolkata police by Federal Bank authorities, last year in February against businessman Aamir Khan among others. In retaliation to the complaint registered, ED carried out a search operation at two of the company’s offices in Kolkata, which led to the seizure of 44.5 Bitcoin (which approximately amounts to ₹7.12 crore as per market exchange rates). Cash of ₹1.65 crore was also confiscated from the premises.
The cash and bitcoins were seized during ED’s investigation against the current money laundering case on the gaming application, which is based in Kolkata. So far, it has been known to have cheated many innocent people and has used as many as 300 bank accounts to transfer funds derived from deceived gamers.
According to a public statement issued by the Enforcement Directorate, “The ED carried out a search operation at two premises in Kolkata, leading to the seizure of Rs 1.65 crore cash and freezing of 44.5 Bitcoin (equivalent to Rs 7.12 crore as per exchange market rates) and other…..documents.”
The agency broke into the premises of E-nuggets, Aamir Khan and his father Nesar Ahmed Khan in Kolkata in September and collectively, it seized a cash of ₹17.32 crore other than the frozen Bitcoins and cash deposits made in some other banks in the past. With the recent search raid, the total confiscated amount in this case stands about ₹51.16 crore under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Who is Aamir Khan?
Other than running a transport business based in Kolkata, Aamir Khan launched E-nuggets, a smartphone gaming application. During its initial days, the application awarded high commission fees to gamers who invested real money in the game. According to ED officials, the app also had a function that allowed gamers to release money from its wallet without any hassle. But as soon as the gamers began to invest more and more money in the game, the application refused to let people withdraw money from their wallet. Subsequently, the users noticed that their data got lost from the app’s server.
The Park Street Police, with whom the case was primarily registered by the Federal Bank in Kolkata, charged Khan with IPC sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of money), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 469 (forgery), 471 (fraudulent or dishonest use of electronics device), and 34 (acts by several persons in furtherance of common intention).