Lucknow, October 23, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs 3.72 crore, including a flat and a plot in Kolkata, in connection with an alleged international cyber fraud involving fraudulent call centres in Gorakhpur and Ranchi that targeted UK nationals.
According to an official statement issued on Friday, the ED’s Allahabad Sub-Zonal Office in Prayagraj issued the Provisional Attachment Order (PAO) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The action forms part of an ongoing investigation into the case against Anik Dutta and others.
The attached assets include a plot and a flat in Kolkata, funds held in bank accounts and insurance policies, the agency said.
The ED stated that the total proceeds of crime allegedly generated by Dutta, in association with another accused, had been quantified at Rs 7 crore.
The investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered and a charge sheet filed by the Cyber Crime Police Station in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, against Dutta, Akash Gupta, Aditya Mishra and others under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860.
According to the ED, the accused allegedly operated fraudulent call centres through Glowbird Consultancy Private Limited in Ranchi and later through Jubilate Info Private Limited in Gorakhpur. Employees were allegedly trained to target UK nationals, particularly elderly people, by impersonating representatives of BT Openreach and using fictitious foreign names.
The agency alleged that victims were persuaded to download remote-access software, including AnyDesk and Quick Assist, under the pretext of improving their internet speed. This allegedly enabled the accused to access victims’ devices and banking details.
The victims were subsequently told that their internet connections had been subjected to cyberattacks and that cases had been registered with UK Action Fraud, the ED said. Senior supervisors allegedly posed as Action Fraud officials and induced victims to transfer money into bank accounts specified by the accused.
The ED further alleged that the proceeds of the fraud were transferred to India, Bangladesh and Thailand through international money transfer services, including Western Union and MoneyGram, as well as through hawala channels.
The provisional attachment is part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to trace and secure assets allegedly linked to the proceeds of the international cyber fraud.
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