Shillong, May 10: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached movable assets worth ₹1.06 crore in connection with the alleged “Global Media App” cryptocurrency and investment fraud case that reportedly duped investors of more than ₹45 crore across India.
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According to the ED’s Shillong Sub-Zonal Office, the attachment was carried out under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of an ongoing investigation into the large-scale online scam.
The probe was initiated following an FIR registered at Madanrting Police Station in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district over allegations of cheating through a mobile application called “Global Media App.”
Investigators said the application operated as a Ponzi-style investment scheme disguised as an online advertising platform. Users were allegedly promised passive income for watching advertisement videos and were encouraged to purchase “VIP membership plans” in return for high daily profits and referral commissions.
According to the ED, the fraudulent operation ran between June 3 and October 12, 2022, before the application was abruptly shut down and the accused disappeared with investors’ money.
Officials estimated the total proceeds of crime generated through the scheme at approximately ₹45.33 crore.
The ED said the accused collected funds through bank transfers, UPI transactions and cryptocurrency wallets, while promotional activities were allegedly conducted through Telegram channels managed using foreign mobile numbers.
The investigation revealed an extensive money laundering network involving multiple bank accounts, merchant IDs, payment gateway accounts and cryptocurrency wallets used to layer and conceal the funds.
Authorities found that around ₹2.45 crore was directly collected from investors in the form of USDT (Tether) cryptocurrency through the TRON blockchain network before being transferred to foreign cryptocurrency exchanges.
The ED also stated that the Telegram channels linked to the scheme were allegedly operated by individuals using Cambodia and Malaysia-based mobile numbers, while Google accounts used to manage the app backend were registered in Cambodia, indicating possible overseas control of the operation.
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Investigators said “mule accounts” and rented merchant IDs were used to route funds through payment gateways to obscure the money trail.
The agency has sought details from banks, payment gateways, Google, Telegram and cryptocurrency exchanges to identify beneficiaries and trace the remaining funds.
Efforts are ongoing to trace over ₹44 crore still unaccounted for and identify the end recipients involved in the international crypto fraud network.
