Properties Of Rs7.31 Cr Attached;
FinTech BizNews Service
Mumbai, July 20, 2025: Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Jalandhar Zonal Office, has issued a Provisional Attachment Order under the under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 on 17.07.2025 vide which immovable properties worth Rs. 7.31 Crore situated in Ludhiana and Mohali have been attached in a money laundering investigation related to running of an illegal call centre by Ankush Bassi, Piyush Malik, Gurmeet Singh Gandhi and others, as per a press release issued by the ED.
ED initiated investigation on the basis of FIR registered by Punjab Police under various sections of IPC, 1860 and IT Act, 2000 against Ankush Bassi and his accomplices for doing frauds with foreign nationals by impersonating customer support representatives and manipulating them into buying gift cards and Virtual Digital Assets.
ED investigation revealed that Ankush Bassi, Piyush Malik, Gurmeet Singh Gandhi were running a call center purportedly for providing services without having any affiliations and defrauded unsuspecting customers abroad in lieu of providing service and manipulated them into buying gift cards and Virtual Digital Assets. The gift cards and virtual digital assets were later encashed in India by the accused persons through crypto exchanges and layered through multiple bank accounts of these individuals and their family members. The Proceeds of Crime thus generated through illegal activities were utilized in purchase of immovable properties. Further investigation is under progress.
