ED Panaji office has arrested Mumbai advocate Rashesh Bharatkumar Upadhyay alias Rashesh Shah for allegedly arranging the release of frozen bank accounts linked to a nationwide cyber fraud laundering network by routing bribes to suspected officials. Upadhyay was intercepted at Mumbai airport on October 24 while attempting to board a Delhi-bound flight, ED said. He has been remanded in ED custody till October 29, becoming the seventh person arrested in the case.The investigation stems from a digital arrest” fraud in which a woman from Goa was allegedly coerced into transferring about Rs 2.6 crore by fraudsters impersonating TRAI and CBI officials. ED said the money trail led through over 400 mule accounts into a network of companies whose accounts featured in over 300 complaints and more than 160 FIRs across 20 states and Union Territories.ED alleged that Upadhyay arranged the unfreezing of around 100 accounts, including one instance involving a payment exceeding Rs 60 lakh. Investigators are tracing the suspected bribe recipients and intermediaries.
