Kolkata, Dec 19 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Friday that it had filed two supplementary prosecution complaints in two separate cases linked to money laundering in West Bengal at a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at Kolkata, one on December 12 and the other on December 8.

The one filed on December 8 in connection with the online gaming App Fiewin.

“Vide this supplementary prosecution complaint, ED has arrayed Utkarsh Arya and Sujit Kumar Jha as accused for their involvement in concealment, possession and acquisition of Proceeds of Crime (POC) and twelve companies beneficially owned by Sujit Kumar Jha for using them as corporate structure to conceal POC generated by Fiewin gaming app operators and projecting it as legitimate business income,” statement issued by the ED said on Friday.

On the other hand, the supplementary prosecution complaint filed on December 8 is in relation to a case against R.P. Infosystems Limited.

“Vide this supplementary complaint, the ED has arrayed Ontrack Systems Limited as an accused for committing the offence of money laundering by involving itself in concealment, possession, acquisition and use of the Proceeds of Crime (POC) and Hari Balasubramanian for knowingly facilitating and failing to prevent the misuse of company accounts and assets for money laundering,” the statement issued by ED said.

In the first matter, the ED had told that the online gaming app Fiewin came into existence during the Covid-19 period in 2020 and operated till June 2023.

“This gaming app was projected as an app to make fast and easy money and was marketed through YouTube, Facebook, and other digital mechanisms. The app itself involved simplistic games like Minesweeper, colour prediction, based totally on luck without any role of the skills of player. The ED initiated an investigation based on FIR registered by Cossipore Police Station in Kolkata under various sections of the IPC, 1860, against unknown responsible persons for cheating and conspiracy through online gaming app “Fiewin, the ED statement said.

The ED investigation revealed that Chinese nationals were operating the app with the help and support of Indian nationals, where the accused persons and their associated companies used to transact the POC with the Chinese nationals.

“Investigation revealed that nearly Rs 400 crore was generated from the Fiewin App fraud and credited into Binance wallets in the names of Chinese nationals. The Chinese nationals communicated with and instructed the accused persons through digital platforms, especially Telegram groups,” the ED statement added.

The ED had already attached assets worth Rs 25.78 crore in this case.

–IANS

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