Surat : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested four accused in a major cyber fraud and money laundering case. The investigation revealed that the accused amassed over ₹100 crore in illegal money through cyber fraud. The ED initiated the investigation based on an FIR filed by the Surat Police Special Operations Group on October 15, 2024. Police have arrested Maqbool Abdul Rehman Doctor, Kashif Maqbool Doctor, Mahesh Mafatlal Desai and Om Rajendra Pandya.
The investigation revealed that Maqbool Doctor, his sons Kashif and Bassam Maqbool, along with their accomplice Mahesh Desai, duped people into various cyber frauds, including digital arrests, forex trading, and fake ED and Supreme Court notices. Many people fell victim to online fraud.
According to the ED, the accused opened fake bank accounts in the names of their employees and associates, into which the defrauded money was deposited. These accounts were then operated using pre-activated SIM cards to conceal their true identities. The investigation has also revealed that the money earned through fraud was converted into cryptocurrency through hawala channels, so as to avoid the attention of the agencies.
The four arrested accused were produced before the PMLA Special Court in Ahmedabad, where they were granted five days of ED custody for further investigation. The ED team is now working to identify the remaining members of this network and trace the money trail.
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