• Source:JND
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Jharkhand News:  Five Jamtara residents were found guilty of money laundering on Saturday by a special PMLA court in Ranchi for operating an "organised" cybercrime syndicate. They were also found guilty under the anti-money laundering statute, according to officials.

The following five people were placed under arrest: Pradeep Kumar Mandal (30), Pintu Mandal (33), Ganesh Mandal (51), Ankush Kumar Mandal (27), and Santosh Mandal (51). It is expected that the quantum of punishment will be disclosed on Tuesday.

The region gained popularity as the "cybercrime capital" after certain fraudulent people from there deceived others via phishing phone calls and bank account scams, as shown in the hit Netflix series "Jamtara," which debuted on the OTT platform in 2020.

The five convicts are all from the Jamtara district's Mirga village. In May 2019, a chargesheet was submitted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the five accused.

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Taking cognisance of a case filed by the Jharkhand Police and a chargesheet accusing them of making unauthorised withdrawals and transfers of money from the bank accounts of unsuspecting individuals by impersonating bank officials, the financial watchdog filed criminal charges against these con men under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED claimed its investigation determined that the accused "in connivance with other persons acquired funds in their bank accounts and family members' bank accounts by cheating bank customers, some other individuals and invested the same in the construction of houses and purchase of vehicles".