The Enforcement Directorate (ED has recovered cash worth Rs 1.6 crore and bitcoins worth Rs 7 crore from the residence of a close associate of Amir Khan, the mastermind and prime accused in the multi-crore mobile gaming app fraud, E-Nuggets.
The recovery was made from the residence of Rumen Agarwal at Ultadanga in Kolkata late Wednesday night.
Rumen Agarwal has been taken into custody by the ED sleuths, who have also seized a number of diaries and a laptop from his residence. Umesh Agarwal, another accused in the conspiracy is still absconding.
From the laptop and diaries seized, the ED sources said they have procured details of several contacts who are believed to be parts of this fraud.
With this fresh recovery, the total seizure by ED and Kolkata Police reached Rs 141.47 crore.
Investigation in the matter started on September 10 when the ED sleuths recovered Rs 17.32 core from the residence of the prime accused Amir Khan's father Nasr Khan at Shahi Astabal Lane in Garden Reach area of south Kolata. Amir Khan was absconding then.
Later, the cops of Kolkata Police arrested Amir Khan from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. The city police also arrested five of his close associates.
Another close associate of Khan, Subhojeet Srimani is absconding and the city police have issued a look out notice against him. Srimani is believed to have taken shelter in Dubai recently.
Amir Khan had launched a mobile gaming application named E-Nuggets, which was designed for the purpose of defrauding the public.
During the initial period, the users were rewarded with commission and the balance in the wallet could be withdrawn in a hassle-free manner, which provided initial confidence to them and they started investing bigger amounts for greater percentage of commission and a greater number of purchase orders.
After collecting handsome amounts from the public, all of a sudden withdrawal from the said app was stopped on one pretext or the other. Thereafter, all data, including profile information, was wiped out from the said app server.