On August 31, 2023, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) conducted search operations in 11 addresses connected to Kunal Gupta, owner and Director of M/s Met Technologies Pvt. Ltd in Kolkata, in accordance with the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).
The ED launched an inquiry based on an FIR filed by Bidhannagar Police claiming cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy against M/s Met Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and its affiliates under different sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. The subsequent inquiry uncovered an unlawful call centre maintained by the corporation in Salt Lake, Kolkata, engaged in fraudulent operations both domestically and abroad, which was later sealed by Police.
An ED investigation discovered that the company’s salespeople targeted unsuspecting citizens in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia with phoney tech assistance services, misleading website sales, and sham loan offers via counterfeit mobile applications, coercing victims into large payments. Kunal Gupta has founded businesses in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.
According to reports, two of his UK-based firms were fined heavily by Ofcom, the UK’s Telecom Regulator, for slamming, which is the unlawful practice of switching a consumer’s telephone service provider without authorization. The ED investigation also discovered that the laundered money was funnelled through the hospitality industry, which included hotels, clubs, and cafés, in order to legitimise the unlawful monies.
During the search operations, a substantial number of suspected people’s property deeds, both inside and outside India, as well as electronic equipment and other incriminating papers, were confiscated. Money laundering was also discovered during the search operation through high-value criminal currency transactions. More research is being conducted.
