India Seizes Assets in $162M Morris Coin Cryptocurrency Investment Scheme

Indian Enforcement Directorate has seized property value roughly $5 million in reference to an alleged cryptocurrency rip-off involving Morris coin that has duped buyers out of $162 million. The crime proceeds had been used to purchase cryptocurrencies.

India Authorities Seize Assets in Alleged Crypto Scam Case

India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED), a specialised monetary investigation company below the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, has seized property valued at 36.72 crore rupees ($5 million) in reference to a cryptocurrency rip-off.

The ED started investigating the scheme after a primary data report (FIR) was registered by the Kerala Police below the Indian Penal Code. Multiple different FIRs had been subsequently registered by police in different districts.

The scheme entails a nonexistent cryptocurrency known as Morris coin. Nishad and his corporations carried out an preliminary coin providing (ICO) for the coin and picked up cash from buyers. The ED defined that they held “promotional occasions within the presence of celebrities” and used “flashy web sites” to draw buyers. The police mentioned that over 900 buyers had been duped out of 1,200 crore rupees.

The cash collected from buyers was used to buy immovable properties, cryptocurrencies, and luxurious automobiles, in addition to pay for premium resorts and resorts, the ED famous.

The seized property belong to Nishad Ok. and his associates. They embody cash in a number of financial institution accounts, land, and cryptocurrencies bought out of the proceeds of crime.

The ED detailed:

Cryptocurrencies comparable to ETH, BTC, BNB, YFI, VET, ADA, and USDT, valued at ₹25,82,794, and maintained at Indian and worldwide crypto exchanges, had been discovered. They had been bought out of the proceeds of crime.

“During investigation, all of the above cryptocurrencies … had been transformed into Indian rupee and transferred to the checking account by the cash’ proprietor, which had been connected,” the ED assertion notes.

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