Arrests in Enforcement Directorate's fake call center money laundering investigation reach seven

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Fake call center money laundering investigation

Highlights

The Enforcement Directorate arrested four more accused on 3 November 2026 in a fake call center money laundering investigation, bringing the total number of arrests to seven.
During searches of four premises in Patiala, Pune and Chandigarh on 15 September 2026, investigators seized 79 digital devices, cash and suspicious records from 3 active call centers.
The investigation found that an Indian syndicate targeted U.S. citizens, carrying out fraud worth crores through hundreds of employees and laundering the proceeds through crypto and hawala channels.

This article was translated from the original. Read the original version by our correspondent here.

Arrests and seizures expand in Hyderabad investigation

As reported by the Enforcement Directorate, its Hyderabad Zonal Office arrested Harshil Nayanbhai Rawal, Jaswant Singh, Chetan Munjal and Pranav Pithadia on 3 November 2026 under Section 19(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The accused were produced before the Special PMLA Court in Nampally, Hyderabad, which remanded all four to judicial custody.

The agency had previously arrested Vikas Nimar on 27 July 2026, Tarachand Nimar on 5 August 2026 and Mohammed Irfan Ansari on 10 August 2026 in the same case. With these latest arrests, the total number of people arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the case has risen to seven.

On 15 September 2026, the agency searched four premises in Patiala, Pune and Chandigarh under Section 17 of the PMLA. During the searches, it found three active call centers—two in Patiala and one in Pune—with around 220 people working there at the time.

Digital devices, cash and records were seized during the searches. So far, forensic examinations have been completed on 79 digital devices, including 65 mobile phones, 13 laptops and computers, and one data storage disk. The devices reportedly contained chats, ledgers, calling data, victim records and crypto wallets linked to the alleged syndicate.

How the network targeting U.S. citizens operated

The investigating agency has linked the case to scheduled offences under Sections 318, 336, 340 and 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023—namely, cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy. The alleged call centers, operating from India, contacted U.S. residents, misused the identities of government officials and used forged government documents and identity cards.

The investigation has found that the alleged network operated as an organized call floor, with employees assigned roles such as dialers, bankers and closers. U.S. citizens were contacted with claims of fake purchases or suspicious charges on their accounts. Callers then intimidated them by posing as officials from U.S. agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission and Department of the Treasury.

According to the agency, victims were threatened with legal action and told to hand over cash and gold to pickup agents, send cash parcels by courier, transfer money to money mules in U.S. bank accounts, or buy gift cards. The funds allegedly collected were later converted into Indian rupees through cryptocurrency and hawala channels, and some of the money also passed through accounts in Dubai and other countries.

Our earlier report on the alleged fund diversion and money laundering case involving Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Development Corporation Limited detailed the ED's further action. It covered updates on a supplementary prosecution complaint, the alleged diversion of around INR 14.95 crore through fake accounts and forged documents, and requests for the seizure/attachment of assets during the investigation.

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