ED freezes ₹16.43 crore funds in probe against mobile gaming app

ED freezes ₹16.43 crore funds in money laundering probe against Dani Data gaming app controllers accused of defrauding investors, including a Chinese national.

MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen funds worth ₹16.43 crore after conducting search operations at six premises of a few payment aggregators in Pune and Bengaluru on Wednesday as part of its money laundering investigation against a web-based mobile gaming application — Dani Data.

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The probe was conducted on First Information Reports registered by the Cyber police station in Palanpur, Banaskantha, Gujarat, against the controllers of the Dani Data app, who are accused of defrauding thousands of investors. The Gujarat police have submitted a chargesheet against the accused persons.

Among the accused persons under the agency’s scanner is a Chinese national, ED sources said. The search operations were focused on some merchant IDs allegedly used in collecting investment funds from the public through the Dani Data App by its controllers, the sources said.

It was revealed in ED’s probe that the accused persons, including the Chinese national, conspired with each other to cheat and dishonestly induce investors to deposit crores of rupees through the app, the sources said.

Further, it was revealed that the controllers of the web-based mobile application had allegedly offered guaranteed returns against the investment made by the public. The accused had offered a minimum return of 0.75% per game and lured the complainant and others to make investments with them, sources said.

Thousands were allegedly lured this way, and deposited crores of rupees through the app. After a considerable amount had been deposited through the app, the accused persons had allegedly removed the application from the Google Play Store, the sources said. Earlier, in November 2023 also the agency carried searches in the case across 14 locations in Delhi and Gujarat.