Shillong, May 10: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Shillong Sub-Zonal Office, has provisionally attached movable properties worth ₹1.06 crore in connection with the alleged “Global Media App” online investment fraud case linked to Meghalaya.
The action was taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, as part of an ongoing investigation into a suspected Ponzi-style scheme that allegedly cheated investors through a fraudulent online earning and investment platform.
According to the ED, the probe was initiated based on an FIR registered by Madanrting Police Station in East Khasi Hills district following complaints of cheating through the “Global Media App”.
Investigators alleged that the accused operated the app under the guise of an online advertising platform, promising users daily passive income for watching advertisement videos. Victims were reportedly persuaded to invest larger amounts in VIP membership plans with assurances of high daily returns and referral commissions.
The ED said the fraudsters promoted the app extensively through Telegram channels operated using foreign mobile numbers and collected funds via bank transfers, UPI transactions and cryptocurrency wallets. The app reportedly functioned between June 3, 2022 and October 12, 2022, before abruptly shutting down, with the accused allegedly fleeing with investor funds.
The agency said its investigation has so far traced proceeds of crime amounting to nearly ₹45.33 crore generated through the scheme. Multiple bank accounts, merchant IDs, payment gateway accounts and crypto wallets allegedly used for layering and transferring the funds have also been identified.
According to the ED, a substantial portion of the funds was routed through cryptocurrency wallets operating on the TRON blockchain network using USDT (Tether) tokens. The agency has conducted enquiries with banks, payment gateways, Google, Telegram and cryptocurrency exchanges to track the money trail.
The ED further claimed that the fraud had an international dimension, with Telegram channels linked to mobile numbers registered in Cambodia and Malaysia. Investigators also found that Gmail accounts associated with the app backend listed Cambodia as the “terms of service country”, suggesting operational control from outside India.
The agency said approximately ₹2.45 crore in proceeds of crime was directly collected in the form of USDT tokens and routed through foreign-domiciled cryptocurrency exchanges. Further investigation is underway.
, Shillong Sub-Zonal Office, has provisionally attached movable properties worth ₹1.06 crore in connection with the alleged “Global Media App” online investment fraud case linked to Meghalaya.){kind=link}