Jalandhar: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Jalandhar Zonal Office, carried out search operations at 11 locations across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Assam recently, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The action was taken in connection with a money-laundering investigation linked to the “digital arrest” fraud case involving eminent Ludhiana industrialist S. P. Oswal.

During the searches, the agency recovered and seized various incriminating documents and digital devices.

The investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the Cyber Crime Police Station, Ludhiana, under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. The ED later took up nine additional FIRs registered by different police authorities in connection with cybercrime and digital arrest incidents linked to the same group of accused persons.

According to the ED, the probe revealed that fraudsters impersonating officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) used forged official and judicial documents to coerce Oswal into transferring Rs 7 crore into multiple bank accounts. Of this, Rs 5.24 crore was recovered and transferred back, while the remaining amount was routed through several “mule accounts” held in the names of labourers and delivery workers, and was either siphoned off further or withdrawn in cash.

The investigation further found that credentials of several mule accounts were being used by one Ms. Rumi Kalita in exchange for a percentage of the cheated funds. Evidence seized during searches indicated her active role in the diversion and layering of proceeds of crime.

Ms. Kalita was arrested on December 23, 2025, under PMLA provisions. Her transit remand for four days was granted by the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup (Metro), Guwahati. She was subsequently produced before the Special PMLA Court in Jalandhar, which granted ED custody for 10 days, up to January 2, 2026.

The ED noted that earlier searches conducted on January 31, 2025, in the same case had also resulted in the seizure of incriminating documents.

The agency stated that further investigation is in progress. DeshGujarat