Enforcement Directorate (ED) teams continued their search operation at DM Web Solutions in Urban Estate, Patiala, on Wednesday as part of an investigation into alleged illegal call centres and cyber fraud and the agency is also carrying out searches at premises in Mohali in connection with the probe.
According to sources, the ED action follows leads related to suspected large financial transactions involving the firms under investigation and the teams reportedly entered the premises late Tuesday evening and continued their operation through Wednesday.
In Patiala, two showrooms located in Urban Estate Phase-2 were sealed during the operation, while ED officials remained at the spot and local police were reportedly deployed around the premises to provide an outer security cordon, while central security agencies were also placed on alert during the searches.
The investigation is focused on alleged fake call centre operations and suspected cyber fraud and according to a senior official, the two call centres had allegedly been operating for some time and the role of certain well-connected individuals is also being examined as part of the probe.
The ED action has also led to political allegations in Punjab as some opposition leaders have alleged that senior government officers could have links to the matter and it is also being said that a senior Punjab officer, who has held several important postings, could be under the agency's scanner along with other bureaucrats, however, these claims have not been officially confirmed.
As of now, the ED has not issued any official statement confirming the involvement of any Punjab officer, bureaucrat or other senior official in the case, therefore, the allegations and speculation surrounding their possible role remain unverified.
The latest operation comes after an ED raid last month at the residence of a businessman in Ropar district and that action was reportedly linked to an alleged Rs 100-crore cyber fraud case involving a call centre accused of targeting foreign citizens.
The ongoing searches in Patiala and Mohali are expected to provide more details about the financial transactions, the alleged call centre operations and the people connected to them and any further information about arrests, seizures or the involvement of government officials will depend on an official statement from the investigating agency.
