Panaji, Aug 25: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested two men under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for operating a massive cyber-fraud network that defrauded victims through fake “digital arrests” and laundered proceeds into foreign currency, the agency said on Monday.

The ED produced the accused, identified as Fahim Moin Hussain Sayed and Naim Mueen Sayyed, before the Special PMLA Court in Goa on Monday, securing five days of custody until August 29.

The accused were arrested on Sunday following a complaint by a woman victim in North Goa, the agency said in a statement.

The money laundering probe stems from an FIR registered by the Cyber Crime Police Station, North Goa.

A local resident suffered a loss of Rs 2.60 crore after fraudsters placed her under continuous video call surveillance under the guise of a “digital arrest” and coerced her into transferring funds into fraudulent “secret supervision accounts” between May 21 and June 2 this year.

Investigating officers discovered the money entered an organised apparatus designed to convert cyber-fraud proceeds into cash and foreign currency through RBI-licensed full fledged money changers.

The victim’s money was routed within hours through an initial layer of dormant and newly opened bank accounts before being dispersed among more than 400 beneficiary accounts through transfers, cash withdrawals, self-cheques and payment gateways.

The trail then extended to an interconnected network of commodity, trading, travel and foreign-exchange entities, the ED said.

The agency said that the trail exposed an interconnected network of trading, travel, and foreign-exchange entities that recorded banking transactions exceeding Rs 27,850 crore. This network deposited Rs 2,904 crore in cash, including Rs 584.70 crore deposited via 61,448 separate transactions at bulk note acceptance machines.

The bank accounts of these dummy entities link to 163 FIRs and 330 complaints across 20 states and Union Territories, representing total reported victim losses of Rs 417.49 crore.

In 101 of these complaints, funds belonging to a single victim were routed to two or more entities within the same group during the same fraud, indicating that the accounts functioned as a common pool rather than as independent businesses.

The syndicate incorporated companies using names of drivers and employees living in single-room tenements to act as dummy directors while controlling the operations externally.

The ED conducted searches across 20 premises in Mumbai and Goa on July 17 and August 21 and yielded Rs 3.25 crore in cash and froze bank balances exceeding Rs 30 crore. The agency also seized digital devices, books of account, records and statutory registers, which are currently under examination.

Kolkata, Aug 25: The West Bengal Police on Tuesday said four persons have been arrested in connection with the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker in Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district.

Baruipur Police District officials arrested the accused for allegedly murdering Bapi Pramanik, who was reportedly killed over an old enmity on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.

Among those arrested is Sujan Mondal, an erstwhile local BJP leader who was recently suspended from the party for alleged anti-party and immoral activities. The other arrested persons have been identified as Krishna Mondal, Kanak Mondal and Anil Naiya. All four are expected to be produced before a district court later on Tuesday, where the public prosecutor is likely to seek their police custody.

According to Pramanik’s family members, Pramanik received a phone call on Sunday night asking him to come outside his house. After he stepped out, he was allegedly attacked and hacked to death.

The murder is suspected to have stemmed from rivalry between two groups within the local organisation, the police said. Mondal had been named by Pramanik’s family as the alleged mastermind behind the killing. A family member also claimed that Mondal was present at the spot when Pramanik was allegedly attacked by his associates.

The police registered an FIR at Baruipur police station based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s family.

Krishna Mondal, Kanak Mondal and Anil Naiya were initially detained and questioned by investigators on Monday afternoon. Based on information gathered during the interrogation, the three detained persons and Sujan Mondal were subsequently arrested.

“Investigators are probing the exact reasons behind Bapi’s murder and the role played by each accused in the crime,” a Baruipur Police District official said.

BJP district leaders, including former organisational district president Uttam Kar, have clarified that Sujan Mondal had been suspended from the party some time ago.

Kar alleged that a group of miscreants associated with the Trinamool Congress was behind Pramanik’s murder. He claimed that during the previous Trinamool Congress government, Pramanik had been forced to leave his home and live elsewhere for nearly 10 years because of his association with the BJP.

According to Kar, Pramanik returned home only after the West Bengal Assembly elections held earlier this year.

New Delhi, Aug 25: A late-night encounter took place between the Delhi Police Crime Branch and a criminal near the Mayur Vihar-Akshardham stretch, after which a history-sheeter from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, accused in several criminal cases, was arrested, officials said on Tuesday.

Several rounds were reportedly fired during the exchange between the police team and the accused. However, no one was injured in the incident, and the accused was taken into custody safely.

According to police, the arrested man is a history-sheeter involved in several criminal cases, including a firing incident in Delhi’s Chhawla area and cases related to murder and other serious offences.

The Crime Branch had received specific information about the accused’s movement late on Monday night. Acting on the tip-off, a police team laid a trap near the loop connecting Mayur Vihar and Akshardham.

As the accused arrived in the area, the police team moved to intercept him. An encounter ensued, during which several rounds were fired. The police subsequently surrounded and apprehended the accused.

Officials said the accused did not sustain any bullet injuries during the operation. No police personnel or other persons were injured.

The accused is currently being interrogated, and police are attempting to gather further information about his alleged criminal activities and possible associates.

The incident comes amid continued action by the Delhi Police against organised crime and gang-related activities in the national capital.

Earlier, on August 2, a gunfight broke out between Delhi Police and two alleged members of the notorious Tillu Tajpuriya gang near Karala village in outer Delhi, leaving both suspects injured after being shot in the legs during an encounter.

The operation was carried out by a team of the Special Staff of the Rohini district. According to police, the suspects opened fire when they were intercepted, triggering a brief exchange of gunfire. A total of six rounds were fired from both sides during that encounter, police said. The two injured suspects were identified as Rahul and Vishal, who were allegedly associated with the Tillu Tajpuriya gang and believed to be involved in criminal activities linked to the outfit.

Two months earlier, the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested two alleged sharpshooters, Jatin, 24, and Vinay Maan alias Bittu, 33, allegedly linked to the Tillu Tajpuriya gang. Police had claimed that the arrests foiled two planned gangland killings targeting members of the rival Gogi gang.