In a significant breakthrough in a cyber fraud case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Lakshay Vij, a 33-year-old from Delhi’s Dilshad Garden, in connection with a high-profile fraud that defrauded a US citizen, Lisa Roth, of over Rs3.3 crore. Vij was taken into custody on Monday night under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and he has been remanded in ED custody until July 28.
The case is linked to a cyber fraud reported to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in July 2023. According to the CBI’s First Information Report (FIR), Roth’s laptop was hacked, and a phone number appeared on her screen. When Roth called the number, a person impersonating a Microsoft agent instructed her to transfer her investment of USD 400,000 approximately Rs3.3 crore from her bank account into a cryptocurrency wallet. A few days later, Roth discovered that the funds had been drained from her account, and the cryptocurrency wallet was empty.
Roth filed a complaint with local authorities, who later forwarded the case details to India, prompting the CBI to launch an investigation. The ED, which investigates money laundering cases, has linked the funds to Vij, who is accused of being involved in the operation and facilitating the transfer of stolen money.
On Tuesday, the Rouse Avenue Court put Lakshay Vij in ED custody for five days. The court’s decision followed a request by the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP), Simon Benjamin, for a seven-day custody extension. However, Vij’s defense lawyer, Advocate Nitesh Rana, contested the request, arguing that the arrest lacked legal grounds and was unjustified.
The arrest of Lakshay Vij marks an important development in the investigation of the fraud, which involved complex financial transactions and the use of cryptocurrency to move illicit funds. Further investigations are ongoing as the authorities look into the broader network behind the scam.