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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

The Indian taxi app race just got hotter.<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/topic/Olacabs"> Ola</a> officials 'categorically denied <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Uber-accuses-Ola-of-causing-serious-damage-to-its-business/articleshow/51516192.cms">Uber's recent allegations of fraud</a>.<o:p></o:p>

	<keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> officials Anand Subramanian and Rahul Maroli told BI they 'stand by' their statement that there has been no wrong doing from Ola's end. 
	 
	<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Ola-adds-6000-CNG-cars-as-Delhis-Odd-Even-returns-on-March-31/articleshow/51524805.cms">ALSO READ: ​Ola adds 6,000 CNG cars as Delhi's Odd-Even returns on March 31</a><o:p></o:p>

	San Francisco-based <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> recently sued its main Indian competition, Ola, for allegedly creating 93,000 fake Uber accounts, and tampering it's businesses. Uber has been seeking Rs. 49.6 crores ($7.4 million) in damages.<o:p></o:p>

	Uber claims <keyword id="3295800" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ola-employees">Ola employees</keyword> used bogus accounts to book and cancel a whopping 400,000 rides over the last six months. Uber allegedly had to pay high cancellation charges to drivers due to this. Around 20,000 drivers quit the platform in frustration apparently.<o:p></o:p>

	The court's verdict is still pending.<o:p></o:p>

Exclusive: Ola 'categorically' denies Uber’s allegations of fake account creation

Much like the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Flipkart&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Flipkart</a>-<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Amazon&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Amazon</a> tussle in India’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=e-commerce&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">e-commerce</a> space, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a>-<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> battle in the online cab aggregation sector is also heating up. 
 
Looking to dominate India’s $9 billion industry, both taxi-hailing apps are promising hundreds of millions in new investment, and are willing to go that extra mile to offer Indians a ride, and more. The battle for the Indian market has even been dragged from the streets to the Court. 
 
Here are a few grounds where <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> locked horns, just to get a bigger piece of the Indian pie: 
 
Raw Money Power: 
Looking at the lack of adequate public transport in Indian cities, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> have together promised an hefty investment of over $2.25 billion in India. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> reportedly plans to pump over $500 million by June in India. This is over and above the $1 billion already committed over the past nine months. That is some serious money. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> hasn’t been left wanting either. It has promised to add another 2,000 cars to its existing fleet of 26,000 in the nation’s capital. It is backed by the likes of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=SoftBank&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">SoftBank</a>, and some of the most cash-rich VCs in the world. 
 
WiFi in Autos? 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> both began offering in-car WiFi last year. 
 
However, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> has been pulling out all its stock to go up against <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a>. The company plans to launch WiFi services in the budget cab segment, and even its auto-rickshaws. 
 
Some wonder how that's humanly possible at the current cost. 
 
Legal Battles: 
Interestingly, both taxi aggregators have been in legal wrangles. 
 
In October 2015, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> filed a legal petition, accusing <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> of flouting a Supreme Court order demanding app-based taxis in New Delhi switch from running on diesel to using CNG (compressed natural gas). 
 
A few months on, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> recently sued <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> for allegedly creating 93,000 fake <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> accounts, and tampering its businesses. The company has been seeking around $7.4 million in damages. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> claims <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> employees used bogus accounts to book and cancel a whopping 400,000 rides over the last six months. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> allegedly had to pay high cancellation charges to drivers due to this. It claims around 20,000 drivers quit the platform in frustration. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> officials 'categorically deny’ <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a>'s allegations of fraud. Senior officials Anand Subramanian and Rahul Maroli told Business Insider they 'stand by' their statement. 
 
Accusations: Both <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> and <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> have been accused of wrong-doing. 
 
Recently, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Paytm&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Paytm</a>-backed online transportation app <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Jugnoo&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Jugnoo</a> alleged Ola has adopted unethical practices against it. In a blog post, the company claims Ola employees made fake bookings, and tried to hamper its operations. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Jugnoo&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Jugnoo</a> CEO Samar Singla has said his team saw a sudden surge in bookings and cancelations. According to him, around 20,000 cancelations were made through 800 accounts over a 10-day period earlier this month. In December, the auto-rickshaw aggregator had accused Ola of poaching employees and driver database in Chandigarh. 
 
Uber has made similar claims against Ola. Ola spokesperson <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Anand+Subramanian&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Anand Subramanian</a> maintains this to be Uber’s way of ‘payback’ for the legal petition Ola filed, accusing Uber of flouting a Supreme Court order. 
 
Interestingly, Uber’s rivals <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Lyft&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Lyft</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Gett&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Gett</a> had in 2014 complained against the aggregator of making false bookings, and recruiting Lyft and Gett driver partners for its own service. 
 
Experiments gone wrong: 
In an attempt to find new battlegrounds, Ola and Uber both launched their bike-taxi services in India’s Bengaluru on the very same day. 
 It seems both knew of each other’s plans and neither wanted to be left behind. However, neither was fully ready. Several users claimed not a single <keyword id="3149752" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="bike-taxi">bike taxi</keyword> was visible. 
 
Both were offering extremely competitive rates. Ola has a per km rate of Rs 2, and a minimum fare of Rs 30. Uber has a per km rate of Rs 3 and a minimum fare of Rs 15. 
 
However, Ola was forced to roll back its service a few days later after the Karnataka state government said that India’s Motor Vehicle Act doesn’t have a provision for two wheelers to be used as taxis. Simply put, the bike taxi services were illegal. 
 
When asked about the same, Ola COO Pranay Jivrajka refused to comment on the issue. 
 
However, Uber bike taxis continue to ply on Bengaluru’s (earlier Bangalore) roads. 
 
This isn’t the first time this has happened. As rival Uber was turning up the heat, Ola started experimenting with hyper-local food and grocery delivery. 
 
It was later forced to shut these and focus on serving its core business. Although, it went on an overdrive, introducing new categories like Micro, Prime, a shuttle bus service and carpooling in a very short span. 
 
Regulatory hassles: 
While Uber has been facing regulatory hassles worldwide, and has the muscle to lobby for friendlier policies, Ola is still pretty new to such complications in business. 
 
Recently, Indian state Karnataka stood firm on not allowing surge pricing for app-based ride hailing services such as Ola and Uber. In the state, online taxi aggregators operate as ride-hailing service under a license obtained under the Radio Taxi Scheme, 1988. 
 
The policy says the charged fare cannot be higher than the fare fixed by the government. That means transport apps have to charge within a band where the upper limit is capped. Ola COO <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Pranay+Jivrajka&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Pranay Jivrajka</a> told BI the company's 'working together' with the state government to find a feasible solution. 
 
Way back in August, in a major setback to Ola Cabs, the Delhi High Court dismissed its plea challenging a single-judge order upholding Delhi government's ban on such taxi services. 
 
While Ola argued that non-app based taxi organizations also come under the Radio Taxi Scheme, and that Ola doesn’t own these vehicles anyway, the Delhi government had said the All India Tourist Permit (AITP) vehicles that operate under Ola brand are meant for tourist destinations and not point-to-point service in city. 
 
Online taxi aggregators were finally legalized. 
 
Chest Thumping 
Ola and Uber have both thrown around numbers that hardly make sense if put together. 
 
In a recent interview, Ola’s Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Categories Raghuvesh Sarup said, "In three weeks, we have put up a category (Ola Micro) which is already 50% of all of Uber's daily bookings in the country. The rate at which Micro is growing, it will be larger than their entire brand within a month." 
 
On the other hand, Eric Alexander, President of Uber's Asia business, in an interview said his company was on the verge of overtaking Ola in India. "In January last year, we were at five per cent market share. Now, we are right at the edge of 50 per cent. Within next 30 days, we would beat them (Ola). We will surpass them very, very shortly." 
 
The statistics are even more confusing. Ola claims it holds 75% of the Indian app-based taxi-hailing market, with over 350,000 driver partners on its platform across the country, while Uber claims otherwise. 
 
As the cut-throat fight between Uber and Ola continues, some say it’s reminiscent of Uber’s tussle with Lyft in the U.S. The two San Francisco-based rivals were constantly undercutting each other’s tariffs, poaching each other’s drivers and duplicating services. 
 
Let’s just say its the same war, but with some Indian masala.

The Ola-Uber rivalry in India – when
competition became ridiculous

<ul><li>The Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (<keyword id="2746593" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="smev" source="Orion">SMEV</keyword>) has sent a petition to a Parliamentary Standing Committee on unpaid subsidies.</li><li>The industry body said the allegations against EV manufacturers regarding violation of localisation norms were ‘fake’ and ‘mischievous’,</li><li>The EV body highlighted the disruptions caused by Covid-19 for two years and the 12-month delay in subsidies.</li></ul>Electric vehicles (EVs) have become quite popular in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> over the past few years, with traditional companies also jumping on the EV bandwagon. In addition to the rising fuel prices, another major cause for adoption of EVs in the country has been the subsidy provided by the government as part of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (<keyword id="6523642" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fame-ii" source="Orion">FAME-II</keyword>) scheme. The Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV), an association of Indian EV manufacturers has sent a petition to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Electric &amp; Hybrid Mobility, Energy, and Estimates, raising the issue of subsidies. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Subsidies worth ₹1,200 crore withheld" comment="subhead" text="Subsidies worth ₹1,200 crore withheld">Subsidies worth ₹1,200 crore withheld</cmsannotation> SMEV has said that ₹1,200 crore worth of subsidies have been withheld, causing a serious liquidity crisis in the industry. This is holding up the industry despite the supply chain being ready, it said. “Current trends are showing a slowing down of EV adoption due to the financial stress for the industry, which has been besieged by irritants designed to disturb the momentum of FAME 2,” SMEV said. The industry body has gone as far as to say that the unpaid subsidies are killing the EV revolution in the country. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="EV body claims emails that brought FAME-II under government lens are fake" comment="subhead" text="EV body claims emails that brought FAME-II under government lens are fake">EV body claims emails that brought FAME-II under government lens are fake</cmsannotation> For those unaware of the issue, the FAME-II scheme, which was announced in 2019 has been under the government’s scanner for some time now. A<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/government-is-reportedly-reworking-the-fame-ii-scheme-to-ensure-companies-use-domestic-components/articleshow/93752352.cms"> report</a> in 2022 even suggested that the government may re-work the scheme. The controversy around the scheme began when a whistleblower claimed that EV makers were violating the localisation norms and claiming fraudulent subsidies. SMEV, however, dismissed these as “mischievous emails” and claimed that the delay in subsidies has been due to these emails. “Most of the debate on localisation - the prime misdemeanours held against OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) so far - is a matter of degrees and a subject of minor negotiations. Most OEMs have struggled over the last three years to secure local parts that adhere to quality standards but have achieved localisation to greater or smaller degree providing for availability,” SMEV said. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="SMEV credits FAME-II for EV revolution" comment="subhead" text="SMEV credits FAME-II for EV revolution">SMEV credits FAME-II for EV revolution</cmsannotation> The EV body highlighted the importance of the government’s FAME-II scheme in helping the EV industry and paving the way for an EV revolution in the country. “SMEV believes that FAME 2 initiative is a path­ breaking, pioneering policy architecture that has not only opened up the EV sector dramatically, but has prepared the market to take off in full swing”, the association said. FAME got derailed by the ‘fake emails’ the industry body claimed. Talking about the challenges faced by the EV manufacturers, the body highlighted the disruptions caused by Covid-19 for two years and the 12-month delay in subsidies. The delay in subsidies has squeezed the working capital of companies that have already passed on the benefit to customers, resulting in a drop in industry volumes. SMEV has called for the industry and the government to work together to solve the issues and put the country back on track to meet its e-mobility targets. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/ather-finally-focuses-on-affordable-electric-scooters-after-losing-its-lead-to-ola-electric-and-tvs-motor/articleshow/99456189.cms">Ather finally focuses on affordable electric scooters after losing its lead to Ola Electric and TVS Motor</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/17-of-people-store-financial-information-on-their-smartphones/articleshow/99426637.cms">Despite a rise in financial frauds, 17% of people store financial information on their smartphones</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/most-common-passwords-can-be-easily-cracked-by-ai-in-under-a-minute/articleshow/99379900.cms">AI chatbots are cracking the code: How PassGAN can break into 51% of common passwords in under a minute</a>

You Searched For "Ola fraud allegations" and got 4 results

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

PTI

Exclusive: Ola 'categorically' denies Uber’s allegations of fake account creation

Saikat Pyne

The Ola-Uber rivalry in India – when competition became ridiculous

Saikat Pyne

Unpaid subsidies worth ₹1,200 crore leading to ‘serious liquidity crisis’ among EV makers, says industry body

Sourabh Jain

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