Delhi man arrested for duping US woman of ₹3.3 cr by impersonating Microsoft worker

On Tuesday, the Rouse Avenue Court put Lakshay Vij in ED custody for five days. Special Judge Gaurav Rao set the custody period until July 28.

Updated on: Jul 24, 2024, 20:42:34 IST

By HT News Desk

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The Enforcement Directorate arrested Lakshay Vij, a 33-year-old from Delhi's Dilshad Garden, in connection with a 2023 cyber fraud involving a US citizen.

The victim, Lisa Roth, reportedly lost over ₹3.3 crore. Vij was taken into custody on Monday night under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He appeared in court and has been held by the ED until July 28.

The case is related to a cyber fraud reported to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in July 2023.

According to the CBI FIR, Roth's laptop was allegedly hacked, and a phone number appeared on her screen. When she called the number, someone pretending to be a Microsoft agent asked her to transfer her investment of USD 400,000 (over ₹3.3 crore at the current exchange rate) from her bank account to a cryptocurrency wallet. When Roth checked her crypto account a few days later, she found it empty, as reported by the ED. She then filed a complaint with local authorities, who forwarded the case details to India, leading the CBI to file a case.

On Tuesday, the Rouse Avenue Court put Lakshay Vij in ED custody for five days. Special Judge Gaurav Rao set the custody period until July 28.

Advocate Nitesh Rana, representing Vij, argued against the custody request, claiming that there was no valid reason for the arrest and that it was illegal. In contrast, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Simon Benjamin requested seven days of custody for Vij.

The ED's case is based on a CBI investigation into Prafull Gupta and others for allegedly conspiring and cheating a US citizen. The ED filed the money laundering case in December last year and said that Vij and another person were the main organisers behind the alleged fraud against Roth. The CBI had filed an FIR against Prafull Gupta, Sarita Gupta, and other suspects for the alleged crime of cheating.

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HT News Desk
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