On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced that it had conducted a search operation resulting in the freezing of a Rs. 5.59 crore account balance belonging to Aamir Khan and his associates in connection with a fraud linked to the mobile gaming application E-nuggets. The ED has invoked the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The case originated from an FIR filed on February 15, 2021, under various sections of the IPC by the Park Street Police Station, Kolkata Police. The complaint was lodged by Federal Bank authorities in the court of the Learned Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Calcutta, according to the ED’s statement.
Aamir Khan, son of Nesar Ahmed Khan, introduced the mobile gaming application E-Nuggets with the intention of deceiving the public. Subsequently, after amassing a substantial amount from the public, withdrawals from the app were abruptly halted on various pretexts. Following this, all data, including profile information, was erased from the app servers, as per the ED.
The investigation uncovered the use of over 300 accounts for money laundering. Based on the available information, the ED has frozen the balance of Rs. 5.59 crore in the related bank accounts, the enforcement agency reported.
In a prior search operation against Aamir Khan, the ED seized Rs. 17.32 crore in cash from residential premises. Additionally, 85.91870554 Bitcoins, equivalent to $1674255.7 (approximately Rs. 14 crore), held in balance on Binance Exchange, were frozen. Cryptocurrencies (WRX and USDT) amounting to Rs. 47.64 lakhs were also frozen in WazirX accounts. As part of PMLA investigations thus far, a total of Rs. 36.96 crore has been seized or frozen in this case. The ED noted that further investigation is ongoing.