ED nabs Delhi cyber con at IGI in around Rs 5000 crore scam

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Delhibased cyber fraudster Punit Kumar for his role as an important kingpin within a syndicate responsible for orchestrating a series of cybercrimes and online gaming schemes across India between 2020 and 2024, amounting to huge illicit gains of Rs 4,978 crore, all of which have been siphoned off abroad.

- ASHISH SINHA

Also known as Puneet Maheshwari, the cyber fraudster, who is a resident of Delhi's Moti Nagar, was arrested on April 3 at the arrival hall of Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital while travelling from Nepal, the agency said on Tuesday.

ED said that Kumar's involvement primarily revolves around defrauding the general public through various cyber fraud schemes, subsequently laundering the proceeds of crime, and siphoning off the same out of India.

"He devised a distinctive method of defrauding individuals, utilising servers located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to orchestrate scams, with a parallel system established in India to support the syndicate's operations in the UAE," ED said.