Kolkata gaming app: ED makes first arrest in money laundering case

Romen Agarwal was arrested under the criminal sections of the PMLA in the case against the app called ‘E-nuggets’

The ED has arrested a man for allegedly using his crypto account to park illegal funds, in connection with its ongoing money laundering investigation against a Kolkata-based mobile gaming app company that is alleged to have duped many people.

Romen Agarwal was arrested under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the case against the app called ‘E-nuggets’ and its promoter and main accused Aamir Khan.

He was sent to ED custody till October 28 by a special court in Kolkata, the Enforcement Directorate said in a statement.

"Romen Agarwal is actively involved in inter/intra country transactions related to the transfer of ill-gotten money within and outside the country received from criminals.

"He acted as a conduit for arrangement of parking, routing and transferring of funds generated from illegal activities," the ED said in a statement.

Agarwal used his crypto exchange accounts for parking of funds received from Aamir Khan, it said.

The ED had raided the premises of the company and those belonging to Khan and his father Nesar Ahmed Khan in Kolkata last month and had seized Rs 17.32 crore cash from there.

The total amount of seizure, including that of crypto assets, in the case stands at Rs 51.16 crore.

The agency has said as many as 300 accounts were used to "launder" funds of the gamers.

Aamir Khan was arrested by the detective department of the Kolkata Police from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh last month.

The money laundering case stems from an FIR filed by the Kolkata Police against the company and its promoters in February 2021.

The FIR was registered at the Park Street Police Station based on a complaint filed by the Federal Bank before a court in Kolkata, the ED had said.

The agency found Khan launched the gaming application E-Nuggets, which was designed for the purpose of "defrauding" the public.

"After collecting a sizable amount of money 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 off from the said app servers," the ED said.

The accused was transferring part of the amount "illegally earned" through the gaming app to overseas locations using crypto currency exchange, the agency alleged.