The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials, including an Enforcement Officer and a Head Constable, in an alleged Rs 5 lakh bribery case in Lucknow.
The CBI laid a trap and allegedly caught Manoj Dwivedi red-handed while demanding and accepting Rs 5 lakh on behalf of the Enforcement Officer for extending favour to the complainant’s father in the case.
The investigation also revealed that the accused allegedly withdrew money abroad and invested it in real estate across India and smuggled gold in Keralam. Earlier, CBI had arrested Muhammed Fasal K, a key accused in an international cyber fraud and ATM card smuggling syndicate, from his residence in Thamarassery, Kozhikode on Saturday. Both accused have been apprehended, and further investigation is underway. The cards were allegedly used by foreign associates to withdraw proceeds of cyber fraud.
The case relates to a Rs 1.04 crore cyber fraud reported in July 2024, in which a Thrissur-based complainant was allegedly duped by fraudsters posing as FedEx officials and cybercrime police. The victim was forced to transfer Rs 1,04,40,111 on the pretext of verifying his bank account. The CBI investigation uncovered an international network that allegedly purchased debit and ATM cards from young people and students for Rs 3,000 to Rs 7,000 each and smuggled them to Dubai.
