Enforcement Directorate seizes ₹37 crore worth deposits, cash in Ponzi case

Enforcement Directorate seizes ₹37 crore in bank, demat accounts from Mumbai consultant accused of Ponzi scheme.

Bank and demat account deposits apart from cash worth about ₹37 crore has been seized by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as part of a money-laundering probe against a Mumbai-based financial consultant and his company who are alleged to have duped investors of ₹600 crore through a Ponzi scheme.

The federal agency said on June 23 that the action was undertaken after carrying out raids in the metropolitan city on June 21 against Amber Dalal and his company Ritz Consultancy Services.

The Enforcement Directorate case of money-laundering stems from a Mumbai Police FIR that charged the Chartered Accountant and his company with taking money from investors through a "suspected Ponzi scheme that promised high returns."

“Dalal “absconded” with this money after giving initial returns. It has been gathered that Dalal raised more than ₹600 crore from 1,300 investors,” the ED said in a statement. “He was arrested by the EOW, Mumbai Police and is presently under judicial custody,” it said.

“Dalal raised money from investors on the pretext that he invested the funds in nine commodities such as gold, silver, crude oil, natural gas, zinc, lead, nickel, copper, aluminium and their trade, ensuring the capital is safe and promising an annual return of 18-22% to his investors,” the ED alleged.

“Using the same modus operandi, he raised money from investors in UAE and USA as well,” it said.

“The search operations unveiled a network of stockbrokers, investment advisors who brought clients in lieu of commission. It is also found that payment received from new investment were being utilised to pay out the monthly returns to the old investors,” it said.