AHMEDABAD: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has seized cryptocurrency worth approximately Rs 7.7 crore ($930,000) from one Shaishav Ramavat, who allegedly duped a US citizen by posing as an executive of the fraud department of a multinational company.
Ramavat, a resident of the city, was booked based on information from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). According to the CBI complaint, Ramavat contacted the US citizen over phone and introduced himself as "James Carlson" from Amazon's fraud department.
He convinced the victim that unscrupulous elements were accessing his Amazon account and that his social security number was being used from four different states to open accounts on the e-commerce platform.
A CBI statement alleged that Ramavat induced the victim to withdraw cash from his bank accounts and deposit it in Bitcoin in the RockitCoin ATM wallet. Ramavat allegedly shared a QR code with the victim, falsely telling him that it had been created by the US Treasury.
โIn pursuance of said inducement, the victim allegedly withdrew an amount of $130,000 from his bank accounts on different dates from August 30, 2022 to September 9, 2022, and deposited it in the Bitcoin address provided by the accused โCBI said. Official statement.
To gain the victim's trust, Ramavat emailed a forged letter, dated September 20, 2022, claiming to be from the US Federal Trade Commission.
โSearches were carried out at the accused's premises in Ahmedabad which led to the recovery and seizure of cryptocurrencies including 28 Bitcoin, 55 Ethereum, 25,572 Ripple and 77 USDT from Ramavat's e-wallet. These were worth around 7.7 million rupees ($939,000). The CBI also found incriminating material at his residence,โ a CBI spokesperson said.
The role of two accomplices of Ramavat, who are also based in Ahmedabad, has also been unearthed. The CBI searched their premises leading to the seizure of mobile phones, laptops containing incriminating material and other digital devices.
Ramavat, a resident of the city, was booked based on information from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). According to the CBI complaint, Ramavat contacted the US citizen over phone and introduced himself as "James Carlson" from Amazon's fraud department.
He convinced the victim that unscrupulous elements were accessing his Amazon account and that his social security number was being used from four different states to open accounts on the e-commerce platform.
A CBI statement alleged that Ramavat induced the victim to withdraw cash from his bank accounts and deposit it in Bitcoin in the RockitCoin ATM wallet. Ramavat allegedly shared a QR code with the victim, falsely telling him that it had been created by the US Treasury.
โIn pursuance of said inducement, the victim allegedly withdrew an amount of $130,000 from his bank accounts on different dates from August 30, 2022 to September 9, 2022, and deposited it in the Bitcoin address provided by the accused โCBI said. Official statement.
To gain the victim's trust, Ramavat emailed a forged letter, dated September 20, 2022, claiming to be from the US Federal Trade Commission.
โSearches were carried out at the accused's premises in Ahmedabad which led to the recovery and seizure of cryptocurrencies including 28 Bitcoin, 55 Ethereum, 25,572 Ripple and 77 USDT from Ramavat's e-wallet. These were worth around 7.7 million rupees ($939,000). The CBI also found incriminating material at his residence,โ a CBI spokesperson said.
The role of two accomplices of Ramavat, who are also based in Ahmedabad, has also been unearthed. The CBI searched their premises leading to the seizure of mobile phones, laptops containing incriminating material and other digital devices.
