ED Seizes Crypto Assets Worth ₹90 Crore in ‘E-Nugget’ Case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized frozen crypto assets worth close to ₹90 crore from 70 accounts maintained with popular cryptocurrency exchanges Binance, ZebPay, and WazirX. These assets are linked to a money laundering case involving the online gaming app ‘E-Nugget’, the agency revealed on Tuesday. The ED alleges that the E-Nugget app, posing as a gaming platform, lured users with promises of high investment returns. However, users soon found themselves stranded when the app shut down, leaving them unable to access their funds.

Properties worth over ₹163 crore, including cash, cryptocurrencies, account balances, and office space, have been attached, seized, or frozen in connection with the case. The alleged scam came to light in 2022 when the ED discovered that part of the “ill-gotten gains” had been invested in digital assets. The ED initiated the probe based on an FIR registered by the Kolkata police, alleging illegal activities by Aamir Khan and his associates. The investigation revealed that the app collected funds by deceiving users, abruptly halted money withdrawals, and erased all user data from its servers, resulting in significant financial losses to victims.