STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Directorate of Enforcement, Jalandhar Zonal Office, has filed a prosecution complaint against five accused, including Rumi Kalita, Arpit Rathore, Anand Chaudhary, and Atanu Chaudhary, along with his firm M/s Frozenman Warehousing & Logistics, in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the alleged digital arrest fraud involving industrialist S P Oswal.
Rumi Kalita of Guwahati and Arpit Rathore of Kanpur allegedly controlled the accounts of Frozenman Warehousing & Logistics.
The complaint was submitted on February 19 before the Special Court in Jalandhar under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The ED initiated its investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Cyber Crime Police Station, Ludhiana, under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
The agency stated that its investigation revealed that proceeds of crime generated from eight other cybercrime incidents were credited on August 28, 2024, into the bank account of M/s Frozenman Warehousing & Logistics. During the alleged digital arrest of Oswal, fraudsters posing as officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation extorted Rs 7 crore from him.
According to the ED, the proceeds were initially routed through the bank accounts of M/s Riggio Ventures Private Limited and M/s Frozenman Warehousing & Logistics. The accounts of Frozenman Warehousing & Logistics were allegedly controlled by Rumi Kalita of Guwahati and Arpit Rathore of Kanpur. The accused allegedly used an APK application named AMMFORWARD’ to expedite the transfer of funds.
Investigators stated that Rathore provided mule bank accounts to individuals based in countries including Cambodia and Vietnam and received commission in the form of cryptocurrency credited to his Binance account. The proceeds of crime were subsequently layered and transferred through multiple mule accounts in a structured manner to conceal their origin. A portion of the funds was allegedly routed through shell entities and remitted abroad using trade-based money laundering mechanisms.
The remaining funds were allegedly split into smaller amounts ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh and withdrawn in cash from mule accounts. The cash was then used to acquire virtual digital assets, which were transferred to the accounts of foreign nationals after a deduction of commission. The ED alleged that several mule accounts were opened by luring economically vulnerable individuals with promises of loans or employment.
Earlier, the agency issued a provisional attachment order attaching assets worth Rs 1.76 crore. Searches were conducted on January 31, 2025, and December 22 and 31, 2025, in connection with the case. Rumi Kalita was arrested on December 23, 2025, while Arpit Rathore was arrested on December 31, 2025. Both are presently in judicial custody.
Further investigation in the matter is ongoing.