Mumbai: The Surat sub-zonal unit of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached movable assets worth Rs 1.84 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The attached assets are tied to an ongoing investigation into alleged illegal betting activities involving Harish alias Kamlesh Jariwala and others, the financial probe agency said on Friday.

The attached properties are registered under the name of Rajesh Lakhani, owner of M/s. Maitri Enterprises and M/s. VC Metals Pvt. Ltd, who is the alleged actual beneficiary of the proceeds of crime (POC) from illegal betting operations linked to CBTF247.com and T20 EXCHANGE. According to the ED investigation, Amit Majithia, the promoter of CBTF, is a close associate of Saurabh Chandrakar, who is currently detained by UAE authorities on alleged money laundering charges. The ED's findings indicate that Rajesh Lakhani allegedly received funds through dummy bank accounts, opened by Harish alias Kamlesh Jariwala, and other accomplices using forged documents. These accounts, under the names of various fictitious entities, were strategically created to channel and layer money generated from alleged illegal betting.

The ED's probe was triggered by an FIR lodged by the Surat Detection of Crime Branch (DCB), wherein it's alleged that Harish alias Kamlesh Jariwala allegedly collaborated with two other accused, Rushikesh Adhikar Shinde and Huzefa Kausar Masakarwala. The trio is accused of orchestrating an alleged betting racket, utilizing bogus bank accounts for online betting. They were arrested in 2022. The investigation revealed that they had obtained identity documents from various individuals, forged rent agreements in their names, and falsified shop owners' signatures on those agreements to secure licenses for shell companies. These fabricated identities were then allegedly used to open numerous dummy bank accounts across various banks, facilitating the illegal betting operations.

ED's investigation revealed that these dummy accounts were used for the purpose of transferring the funds obtained from alleged illegal betting apps CBTF247.com and T20 EXCHANGE.com. During investigations, Proceeds of Crime (POC), i.e., the money generated through these betting apps, were traced, and it has been found that these dummy bank accounts in the names of various fictitious entities had been opened for routing and layering of money generated from betting and other alleged criminal activities.

The statement said that from the investigation, they found that Rajesh Lakhani, the proprietor of M/s. Maitri Enterprises and M/s. VC Metals Pvt. Ltd, had allegedly received money from these dummy bank accounts.

Earlier in the investigation, the ED froze balances in 92 bank accounts, amounting to Rs 5.67 crore. A prosecution complaint pertaining to the case was subsequently filed before the PMLA Court in Ahmedabad on October 25, 2024. The investigation is ongoing as authorities continue to unravel the network behind the alleged illegal operations.