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Actor <keyword id="19897962" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tamannaah-Bhatia" source="keywords">Tamannaah Bhatia</keyword>, who made waves with her recent cameo in Stree 2, is in the news again — but for a very unexpected reason this time. The actor was questioned by the <keyword id="19895344" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Enforcement-Directorate" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Enforcement Directorate" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Enforcement Directorate">Enforcement Directorate</keyword> (ED) in Guwahati on Thursday in connection with a high-profile <keyword id="19899231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="money-laundering" source="keywords">money laundering</keyword> case involving the ‘<keyword id="19984854" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="HPZ-Token" source="keywords">HPZ Token</keyword>’ mobile app, where several investors were allegedly duped on the pretext of <keyword id="23296351" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cryptocurrency-mining" source="keywords">cryptocurrency mining</keyword>. The 34-year-old actor’s statement was recorded under the <keyword id="19912399" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Prevention-of-Money-Laundering-Act" source="keywords">Prevention of Money Laundering Act</keyword> (PMLA), according to the Press Trust of India (PTI). Bhatia allegedly received payments for making a "<keyword id="23595308" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="celebrity-appearance" source="keywords">celebrity appearance</keyword>" at an event linked to the app, though there were no incriminating charges against her. Initially called for questioning earlier, she deferred the summons due to professional commitments but appeared on Thursday, as per PTI. The money laundering probe is tied to an FIR filed by the <keyword id="21156024" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cyber-crimes-unit" source="keywords">cyber crimes unit</keyword> of Kohima Police, where several accused were booked under the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act. The app in question, 'HPZ Token,' was reportedly used to deceive investors by promising hefty returns on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency mining. For an investment of ₹57,000, investors were promised returns of ₹4,000 per day for three months, but payments were halted after the first round, and fresh funds were solicited. The ED’s investigation uncovered 299 entities involved, including 76 Chinese-controlled entities, accused of creating "shell entities" to launder funds. The agency seized assets worth ₹455 crore following searches across the country. This case is part of a broader crackdown on fraudulent online schemes and <keyword id="20454123" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="illegal-betting" source="keywords">illegal betting</keyword> tied to cryptocurrency investments. (With inputs from sources)

Why is actor Tamannaah Bhatia being questioned by the ED for a money laundering case?

Gandhinagar: The <keyword id="19895344" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Enforcement-Directorate" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Enforcement Directorate" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Enforcement Directorate">Enforcement Directorate</keyword> on Thursday conducted multi-city searches in Gujarat in connection with a <keyword id="19899231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="money-laundering" source="keywords">money laundering</keyword> case linked to a GST "fraud" in which eight people, including a journalist, were arrested recently by the state police, official sources said. About 23 premises in cities of Rajkot, Junagadh, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar and Veraval were being raided by the federal agency after a case was filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. Premises linked to arrested journalist <keyword id="23517167" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mahesh-Langa" source="keywords">Mahesh Langa</keyword>, who works with <keyword id="21256671" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="The-Hindu" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="The Hindu" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="The Hindu">The Hindu</keyword> newspaper, were also being covered. The money laundering case stems from an FIR of the Ahmedabad Police Crime Branch. The city Crime Branch registered the FIR against several persons and entities after getting a complaint from the Central GST over an alleged scam involving shell firms set up to defraud the government through <keyword id="23577822" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bogus-input-tax-credits" source="keywords">bogus input tax credits</keyword> and fraudulent transactions. Langa along with seven others was arrested after the Central GST found some suspicious transactions in bogus firms floated in the name of his wife and father using forged documents. After the registration of the FIR, the Crime Branch and Gujarat's Economic Offences Wing raided 14 locations across the state, including in Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Surat, Kheda and Bhavnagar. According to the Crime Branch, more than 200 fraudulently created firms worked across the country in an organised manner to defraud the government exchequer by availing bogus input tax credits and forged documents and identities were used to create these firms for tax evasion.

ED conducts raids in Gujarat in GST fraud case

Actor <keyword id="19915080" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shilpa-Shetty" source="keywords">Shilpa Shetty</keyword> and her businessman husband <keyword id="19895826" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Raj-Kundra" source="keywords">Raj Kundra</keyword> have moved the <keyword id="19905533" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bombay-High-Court" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Bombay High Court" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Bombay High Court">Bombay High Court</keyword> challenging ED's notices directing them to vacate their house in Mumbai's <keyword id="19933318" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Juhu" source="keywords">Juhu</keyword> area and a farmhouse in Pune in connection with a money-laundering case. The pleas came up for hearing on Wednesday before a division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan. The court issued notice to the <keyword id="19895344" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Enforcement-Directorate" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Enforcement Directorate" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Enforcement Directorate">Enforcement Directorate</keyword> (ED) and posted the matter for hearing on Thursday. Their petitions challenge ED notices dated September 27 issued to Shetty and Kundra directing them to evict their residential premises here and a farmhouse in Pune within ten days in connection with a money-laundering case linked to an alleged <keyword id="23486542" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bitcoin-fraud" source="keywords">Bitcoin fraud</keyword>. The couple's advocate Prashant Patil said that Shetty and Kundra received the <keyword id="20675198" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="eviction-notices" source="keywords">eviction notices</keyword> only on October 3. He termed the notices arbitrary and illegal and sought them to be quashed. According to the pleas, there is no grave urgency for the petitioners to vacate their premises and that the issuance of such eviction notices was uncalled for. "The petitioners are also seeking relief on humanitarian grounds as the premise in question is their residential premise in which they have been staying with their family of six members for almost two decades," the petitions said. The pleas also sought HC to stay the effect of the eviction notices. As per the pleas, the ED had in 2018 lodged a complaint against one <keyword id="21346793" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="amit-bhardwaj" source="keywords">Amit Bhardwaj</keyword> and others for an alleged Bitcoin fraud and on charges of <keyword id="19899231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="money-laundering" source="keywords">money laundering</keyword>. Both Shetty and her husband have not been named as accused in the case. The ED, during its probe, had summoned Kundra for questioning on several occasions. Kundra had appeared before the agency after each summons, the pleas said. In April 2024, Shetty and Kundra received a notice based on an order passed by the ED provisionally attaching their assets including their residential premise in Juhu that had been purchased by Kundra's father in 2009. Both Shetty and Kundra submitted their response to the notice. "However, in contravention to the provisions of law, the adjudicating authority confirmed the provisional attachment order on September 18, 2024. This order clearly states that the attachment is confirmed only till the conclusion of trial and is subject to its outcome," the pleas said. "The petitioners (Shetty and Kundra) on October 3 received two notices dated September 27, 2024, directing them to vacate their residential premises and the farmhouse," the petitions said. The petitions said no eviction order/notice can be issued prior to conviction. The pleas added that their residential premise has no connection with the scheduled offence or any proceeds of crime. The petitions further claimed that Kundra had absolutely no connection with the alleged fraud.

Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra's money laundering case takes new turn as they challenge the ED's eviction notices

In its first ever raids in the Union Territory of <keyword id="19905190" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ladakh" source="keywords">Ladakh</keyword>, the <keyword id="19895344" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Enforcement-Directorate" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Enforcement Directorate" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Enforcement Directorate">Enforcement Directorate</keyword> on Friday conducted searches as part of its <keyword id="19899231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="money-laundering" source="keywords">money laundering</keyword> probe linked to a cryptocurrency fraud case in which investors lost more than Rs 7 crore worth of deposits, officials said. The agency's zonal office here raided at least six premises in Leh town of Ladakh, Jammu in J-K and Sonipat in Haryana in the case against A R Mir and others. It is alleged that 2,508 investors deposited more than Rs 7.34 crore in a fake cryptocurrency business in the name of "<keyword id="22638371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Emollient-Coin-Limited" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Emollient Coin Limited" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Emollient Coin Limited">Emollient Coin Limited</keyword>". They, however, did not get any returns or currency back, and these funds were laundered by the business' promoters to purchase land assets in Jammu. The money laundering case stems from a March 2020 FIR registered in Leh and some other complaints filed in the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) against Mir and Ajay Kumar Choudhary. Police in Leh in their FIR stated that an inquiry was conducted by a committee formed by the local district magistrate against Mir and his agents who were running the "fake" cryptocurrency business (Emollient Coin Limited) from a office located at the Anjuman Moin-Ul-complex, opposite SNM Hospital, in Leh. The committee sealed this office during inquiry on charges of "cheating many innocent individuals by assuring them to double their investment", according to the FIR. The accused lured people of the UT of Ladakh and some other places to purchase "Emollient Coin" using cash or transferring money into bank accounts, according to Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials. The depositors were also duped in the name of "Bitcoins" with the assurance of returns up to 40 per cent with a lock-in period of 10 months, the probe agency said. Investors were dished out a commission of up to seven per cent of the investment made by the people on their reference in the business, thereby forming a multi-level marketing chain, the ED found. A total of 2,508 people invested Rs 7,34,36,267 in the investment plan offered by Mir and the company (Emollient) floated by him that was incorporated in September 2017 and had its registered office in London. A man, Henry Maxwell, living in the UK capital, was its director. The company had two promoters in India -- Naresh Gullia and Channi Singh. The company was "deliberately" dissolved in March 2019, and Mir along with Choudhary launched a real estate business and acquired lands in Jammu from the funds generated by the fake cryptocurrency trade, according to the ED. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/webstories/ola-electric-ipo-price-band-to-risk-factors-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/112185870.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/webstories/ola-electric-ipo-price-band-to-risk-factors-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/112185870.cms" target="_blank">Ola Electric IPO – Price band to risk factors, all you need to know</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/nothing-phone-2a-plus-with-dimensity-7350-pro-chipset-launched-in-india-starting-at-29999/articleshow/112164963.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/nothing-phone-2a-plus-with-dimensity-7350-pro-chipset-launched-in-india-starting-at-29999/articleshow/112164963.cms" target="_blank">Nothing Phone (2a) Plus with Dimensity 7350 Pro chipset launched in India starting at ₹29,999</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/indian-smartphone-shipments-decline-by-2-in-q2-2024-xiaomi-retakes-the-throne/articleshow/112162312.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/indian-smartphone-shipments-decline-by-2-in-q2-2024-xiaomi-retakes-the-throne/articleshow/112162312.cms" target="_blank">Indian smartphone shipments decline by 2% in Q2 2024, Xiaomi retakes the throne</a>

ED undertakes first-ever searches in Ladakh in crypto fraud case

New Delhi: <keyword id="21114628" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swiss-authorities" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Swiss authorities" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Swiss authorities">Swiss authorities</keyword> have frozen more than USD 310 million in funds across multiple Swiss bank accounts as part of <keyword id="19899231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="money-laundering" source="keywords">money laundering</keyword> allegations into <keyword id="19955648" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Adani-Group" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Adani Group" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Adani Group">Adani Group</keyword>, US-based short seller Hindenburg Research claimed citing media report - a charge that the conglomerate vehemently denied. In a post on X, Hindenburg cited "newly released Swiss criminal records reported by Swiss media outlet" to state that "Swiss authorities have frozen more than $310 million in funds across multiple Swiss bank accounts as part of a money laundering and securities forgery investigation into Adani, dating back as early as 2021." "Prosecutors detailed how an Adani frontman invested in opaque BVI/Mauritius &amp; Bermuda funds that almost exclusively owned Adani stocks," it said citing the report. Adani group rejected the allegations as baseless saying it had no involvement in any Swiss court proceedings. "We unequivocally reject and deny the baseless allegations presented. The Adani Group has no involvement in any Swiss court proceedings, nor have any of our company accounts been subject to sequestration by any authority," it said. It went on to state that "even in the alleged order, the Swiss court has neither mentioned our group companies, nor have we received any requests for clarification or information from any such authority or regulatory body. We reiterate that our overseas holding structure is transparent, fully disclosed, and compliant with all relevant laws." The allegations, it said, "are clearly preposterous, irrational, and absurd. We have no hesitation in stating that this is yet another orchestrated and egregious attempt by the same cohorts acting in unison to inflict irreversible damage on our group's reputation and market value." "The Adani Group remains steadfastly committed to transparency and compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements," it said, adding it "strongly condemns" the allegations. The Swiss media outlet Gotham City in its report stated that "A ruling by the Federal Criminal Court (FCC) reveals that the Geneva Public Prosecutor's Office was investigating alleged wrongdoing by the Indian conglomerate Adani well before activist investors from Hindenburg Research made the first accusations." "More than USD 310 million belonging to an alleged front man for billionaire <keyword id="19929098" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gautam-Adani" source="keywords">Gautam Adani</keyword> is sequestered in five Swiss banks," it said adding the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) took over the investigation after the case was revealed in the media. Hindenburg, which had in January last year alleged stock market manipulation and fraud, claimed that criminal court records show in detail how an Adani frontman invested in opaque BVI/Mauritius and Bermuda funds that almost exclusively owned Adani stock. Adani Group had denied all allegations Hindenburg made in its January 2023 report.

Swiss authorities freeze $310 mn allegedly linked to front man of Adani group, Adani Group rejects allegations

The <keyword id="19895344" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Enforcement-Directorate" source="keywords">Enforcement Directorate</keyword> alleged Saturday that the CPI(M) in <keyword id="19896018" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kerala" source="keywords">Kerala</keyword> was holding proceeds of <keyword id="19899231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="money-laundering" source="keywords">money laundering</keyword>, as it attached a land parcel and <keyword id="20202062" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bank-deposits" source="keywords">bank deposits</keyword> worth Rs 73 lakh of the political party in a <keyword id="19913348" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="probe" source="keywords">probe</keyword> linked to the Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank "scam". Assets worth Rs 28.65 crore of various individuals and entities linked to the case have also been attached by the federal agency after a provisional order under the <keyword id="19912399" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="prevention-of-money-laundering-act" source="keywords">Prevention of Money Laundering Act</keyword> (PMLA) was issued. Official sources said the party may be nam<keyword id="19956083" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ED" source="keywords">ed</keyword> as an accused in the next supplementary chargesheet to be filed in this case. If so, it will be the second political party to be arraigned as accused in a money laundering investigation after the Aam Aadmi Party. AAP has recently been named by the ED in the Delhi excise policy case. The CPI(M) vehemently denied the charges of wrongdoing and money laundering. The attached assets include 18 immovable properties, valued at Rs 28.65 crore, consisting of lands and buildings in Kerala of the beneficiaries of the "scam", including an immovable property worth Rs 10 lakh registered in the name of a district secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for a party office, the ED said in a statement. The attachment also includes eight movable properties, including a credit balance of Rs 63.62 lakh in eight "undisclosed" bank accounts of the CPI(M) local area committees in Thrissur, it added. The agency claimed that the CPI(M) received these funds from the beneficiaries as donations through the governing body and the party is "in possession of proceeds of crime" which has been invested in the purchase of immovable properties and credited to its five bank accounts in the Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank Ltd. The bank is promoted by the party. The CPI(M) rejected the ED charges, saying it would legally and politically fight any move by the agency to arraign it in the case linked to the alleged multi-crore Karuvannur bank scam. Party state secretary M V Govindan alleged that the ED was trying to make opposition parties and their leaders accused in various cases due to political reasons. He also accused the central agency of attempting to create a smokescreen as it had failed to collect any evidence against the party. The ED believes that the land parcel attached by it was meant for the CPI(M) party office and was purchased using alleged kickbacks from the loanees or beneficiaries of the loans sanctioned by the Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank. The agency has relied on the "confessional" statements of at least two accused in this case who claimed in their statements recorded before a judicial magistrate that the purported irregularities in the bank were orchestrated at the behest of CPI(M) Thrissur district committee leaders. The ED alleged that "bogus loans" were sanctioned by the Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank on the same property multiple times without the knowledge of members of the society. "Investigation found benami loans were sanctioned to non-members against inflated property valuations in the names of other members and such loan funds were siphoned off and laundered by the accused beneficiaries," it said, adding that the loan amounts were disbursed in cash to avoid a money trail. "Such benami and illegal loans were sanctioned at the behest of the secretary and the governing body of the society in connivance with the then-bank manager, at the behest of the Thrissur district committee, CPI(M). "In return, the Thrissur district committee, CPI(M), collected money in the form of donations and salary cut from the beneficiaries and society committee members into their undisclosed and illegally opened bank accounts in the same society," the agency said. These funds, according to the ED, were utilised for the purchase of land worth Rs 10 lakh by the secretary of the Thrissur district committee of the CPI(M) for the construction of the party office, which has now been attached as proceeds of crime. Govindan said it has been a decades-long practice of registering the office and other assets of party units in the name of the respective district committees. What role does the party have in the office constructed by one of its local committees, he asked. But the ED is now trying to tarnish the image of the CPI(M) in the name of the assets of one such party unit, Govindan claimed. "We will fight it legally and politically. We haven't got any notice in this regard so far," he told reporters. The ED filed a chargesheet in this case against 55 accused entities in November last year. The money laundering case stems from 16 FIRs registered by the <keyword id="20086884" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kerala-police" source="keywords">Kerala Police</keyword> (<keyword id="20146853" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="crime-branch" source="keywords">Crime Branch</keyword>) in Thrissur in 2010. Four people have been arrested by the ED in this case so far.

After AAP, ED attaches land, bank deposits of CPI(M); says party holding proceeds of money laundering

The Enforcement Directorate has issued fresh summons to American millionaire <keyword id="271260" type="General" weightage="90" keywordseo="neville-roy-singham" source="Orion">Neville Roy Singham</keyword> for questioning in connection with a <keyword id="6355008" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="money-laundering" source="Orion">money laundering</keyword> investigation linked to online news portal <keyword id="10731773" type="General" weightage="70" keywordseo="newsclick" source="Orion">NewsClick</keyword>, official sources said Thursday. The businessman, who is accused of spreading Chinese propaganda in India, is stated to be currently based in Shanghai, China. The <keyword id="12163" type="General" weightage="30" keywordseo="ed" source="Orion">ED</keyword> has issued fresh summons to <keyword id="213658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="singham" source="Orion">Singham</keyword> under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This is a fresh notice issued to him after the agency got issued Letters Rogatory (LR) from a local court seeking to record his statement, the sources said. The summons have been sent to Singham on his email id and through the Chinese government channels, after the ED routed them through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). This is understood to be second summons issued to Singham by the ED after one was issued last year after the investigation was launched in 2021. Singham's name hit the headlines again few months back in a New York Times article. The Delhi Police, following this news piece and some "evidence" shared by ED, had also filed a FIR against him and the founders of NewsClick after this news report came to light. In a statement issued to The Hindu newspaper in October, Singham had said that the language used in the FIR filed by the Special Cell of Delhi Police "strongly suggests" that the claims were "influenced by misinformation from an article published by The New York Times." "The NYT intentionally chose not to publish all the factual rebuttals that I provided to them on July 22, 2023, prior to their publication date," Singham had charged. He also rejected the allegation of fraudulent infusion of funds through a "complex web of several entities" as mentioned in the FIR and in the NYT article. The New York Times report claimed that NewsClick was part of a global network that received funding from Singham, who allegedly works closely with the Chinese government media machine. The Enforcement Directorate had first raided the premises of NewsClick in Saidulajab area of the national capital in September, 2021 on charges of money laundering. The agency has recorded the statements of more than 25 people in this case, including that of NewsClick founder and Editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha. It last year attached a flat in south Delhi's Saket worth Rs 4.52 crore, which is linked to Purkayastha apart from fixed deposits worth Rs 41 lakh as part of this investigation. NewsClick had said the allegations being made against it "by certain political actors and sections of the media are unfounded and without basis in fact or law".

Fresh summons issued to Singham in NewsClick money laundering case

New Delhi [India], March 6 (<keyword id="19904948" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ani" source="keywords">ANI</keyword>): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a prosecution complaint against 299 accused persons and entities (including 76 Chinese-controlled entities) and two other entities controlled by other foreign nationals in an ongoing money laundering case, the agency said on Wednesday. The case is linked to the duping of gullible investors who were promised astronomical returns on investing money (claimed to be used for mining bitcoins and other crypto Currencies) for which an app-based token by the name of "<keyword id="19984854" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hpz-token" source="keywords">HPZ Token</keyword>" was used. The prosecution complaint filed before a Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Nagaland's Dimapur named 299 accused persons and 78 entities. Out of the total entities named in the prosecution complaint, 76 are Chinese-controlled entities (in which 10 directors are of Chinese origin) and two other entities are controlled by other foreign nationals. The court took cognizance of the offence of money laundering in the prosecution complaint on Tuesday after finding that a prima-facie case has been made under PMLA, 2002, against the said 299 accused persons. ED initiated an investigation based on an FIR registered by Cyber Crime Police Station, <keyword id="20214444" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kohima" source="keywords">Kohima</keyword> (Nagaland) under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and the <keyword id="20003647" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="information-technology-act" source="keywords">Information Technology Act</keyword>, concerning the duping of gullible investors who were promised astronomical returns on investing money [claimed to be used for mining of bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies], for which an app-based token by the name of "HPZ Token" was used. The ED investigation revealed that various bank accounts and merchant IDs were opened by various shell entities having dummy directors and proprietors only for the rotation and layering of proceeds of crime representing funds fraudulently received for illegal online gaming betting and investment in <keyword id="19899404" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bitcoin" source="keywords">Bitcoin</keyword> mining. For an investment of Rs 57,000, returns of Rs 4,000 per day for three months were promised but money was paid only once and thereafter, fresh funds were sought. Earlier, ED conducted search operations at 44 locations throughout the country and an amount of Rs 176.67 crore, maintained by shell entities in various banks and virtual accounts, was frozen. Further movable and immovable properties to the extent of Rs 278.70 crore held in the name of dummy entities were attached. Total seizure and attachment stand at Rs 455.37 crore in the case so far. (ANI)

ED files prosecution complaint against 299 accused, 76 Chinese-controlled entities in a money laundering case

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A British-Chinese woman has been sentenced to more than six years in prison for money laundering.</li><li>Police seized 61,000 bitcoins — now worth more than $4 billion — from Jian Wen's home in 2018. </li></ul>A British-Chinese woman has been sentenced to more than six years in prison for her part in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/bitcoin">bitcoin</a> money laundering scam.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-crypto-fraud-scam-money-laundering-jian-wen-uk-2024-3">Jian Wen, 42, was initially found guilty</a> at London's Southwark Crown Court on March 20, <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/specialist-cps-team-involved-uks-largest-bitcoin-seizure">the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a press release at the time.</a>She was sentenced to 80 months in prison on Friday.Wen first came to the attention of authorities after she made a series of attempts to buy luxury homes in London from 2017 to 2018. The three properties were valued at £23.5 million ($29.7 million), £12.5 million ($15.8 million), and £4.5 million ($5.7 million).The subsequent investigation culminated in police seizing devices containing 61,000 bitcoins — currently worth more than $4 billion — in 2018, in what was the UK's largest-ever crypto seizure.The funds are said to have come from an investment fraud operation in China led by her "employer," Yadi Zhang.In her <a target="_blank" href="https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Wen-Sentencing-Remarks.pdf">sentencing remarks</a>, Judge Sally-Ann Hales, KC, said that more than 128,000 investors pumped 40 billion Renminbi (roughly $5.6 billion) into the scheme."Some of the proceeds of this fraud were exchanged for bitcoin, loaded onto a cryptocurrency wallet and smuggled out of China on a laptop," she added.According to the CPS press release, Wen was convicted of converting "significant amounts" of the bitcoin into cash and other assets on her boss's behalf.Despite declaring an income of just £12,800 (around $16,200) and £5,979 (roughly $7,600) in 2015 and 2016, Wen moved into a six-bedroom property in London in 2017, paying over £17,000 (around $21,600) a month.Wen and her boss claimed to run an international jewelry business, with Wen acting as the "front person." They also paid for Wen's son to move to the UK from China to attend a private school and purchased two properties in Dubai.But her attempts to purchase extravagant London homes triggered anti-money laundering checks, and the sales stalled as she could not explain the source of the funds.Wen was not accused of involvement in the original fraud, but Hales told Wen that she was "in no doubt that by 22 June 2019, you knew, rather than merely suspected, that you were dealing in the proceeds of crime."In March, Andrew Penhale, chief prosecutor, said: "Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are increasingly being used by organized criminals to disguise and transfer assets so that fraudsters may enjoy the benefits of their criminal conduct.""This case, involving the largest cryptocurrency seizure in the UK, illustrates the scale of criminal proceeds available to those fraudsters," he added.

Former Chinese takeaway worker jailed for money laundering after police seized 61,000 bitcoins — currently worth $4 billion      

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Jian Wen was convicted of money laundering offense in a court in London on Wednesday.</li><li>In 2021, police seized 61,000 bitcoin from digital wallets linked to the Chinese takeaway worker.</li></ul>A former Chinese takeaway worker was found guilty of a money laundering offense after police discovered that she'd converted <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/currencies/btc-usd">bitcoin</a> worth billions into cash and big-ticket items including jewelry and properties in Dubai.Jian Wen, 42, was convicted at Southwark Crown Court in London on Wednesday, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/specialist-cps-team-involved-uks-largest-bitcoin-seizure">the UK's Crown Prosecution Service</a> said in a press release.The case unfolded after police seized 61,000 bitcoin from digital wallets linked to Wen in 2021. The crypto haul, which was worth £1.4 billion ($1.8 billion) then and would now be valued at $3.8 billion, the CPS said.Prosecutors said Wen had helped an international fraudster who is still at large to hide the bitcoin, which had originally been stolen from nearly 130,000 Chinese investors between 2014 and 2017. Wen is not alleged to have been involved in that original fraud.Before meeting the woman she described as her "employer," Wen had lived above a Chinese restaurant in Leeds.In 2017 she started converting the stolen bitcoin into cash, jewelry, and two properties in Dubai worth more than £500,000 ($640,000), the court heard.<div type="image" title="cash" height="269" width="472" msid="108684679" hostid="261" sizebytes="9886"></div>Wen also rented a six-bedroom property in north London costing about £17,000 ($20,000) a month and paid for her son to move over from China to attend a private school in the UK.Police became involved when Wen tried to buy multiple properties in London but struggled to convert her bitcoin into cash and to answer banks' anti-money-laundering compliance checks, the CPS said.When challenged, the woman said she'd made the money legitimately through bitcoin mining, and later claimed her employer gave her 3,000 bitcoin then worth about £15 million."Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are increasingly being used by organized criminals to disguise and transfer assets, so that fraudsters may enjoy the benefits of their criminal conduct," said chief prosecutor Andrew Penhale in a press release. "This case, involving the largest cryptocurrency seizure in the UK, illustrates the scale of criminal proceeds available to those fraudsters."Adrian Foster, another chief prosecutor, added that the CPS had worked with police to obtain freezing orders to preserve the seized cryptocurrency. "A CPS-led civil recovery investigation is running to establish that the frozen cryptocurrency is criminal property and to seek its forfeiture," he said.Wen is due to be sentenced on May 10.

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