ED Provisions Provisional Attachment of Rs. 1.84 Crore Assets in Illegal Betting Case Involving Harish Jariwala and Associates
(Judicial Quest News Network)
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Surat Sub-Zonal Office, has provisionally attached movable assets worth Rs. 1.84 Crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with a case involving illegal betting activities. The assets are linked to Rajesh Lakhani, the proprietor of M/s. Maitri Enterprises and M/s. VC Metals Pvt. Ltd., and are believed to be proceeds of crime.
The ED initiated the investigation based on an FIR filed by the DCB, Surat, which accused Harish alias Kamlesh Jariwala of conspiring with Rushikesh Adhikar Shinde and Huzefa Kausar Masakarwala. They allegedly engaged in identity theft, forging documents, and opening fake bank accounts under fictitious names for the purpose of facilitating illegal betting operations via apps like CBTF247.com and T20 EXCHANGE.com.
The investigation revealed that these dummy accounts were used to launder money generated from illegal betting activities. Rajesh Lakhani was found to have received proceeds of crime from these fraudulent accounts.
Previously, the ED had frozen and seized funds amounting to Rs. 5.67 Crore from 92 bank accounts linked to the case. A Prosecution Complaint was filed on October 25, 2024, before the Hon’ble Court (PMLA), Ahmedabad. The investigation is ongoing.
