Rafiq Khan was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) this week. The absconding man was intercepted at Jaipur airport while he was trying to flee to Sharjah in the UAE, the federal agency said.

Khan was one of the co-conspirators behind some fake call centres that cheated US citizens in the guise of loans that were being dished out at cheaper rates of interest, it said in a statement. The ED has earlier arrested Shahanawaz Ahmed Jeelani, Vipin Kumar Sharma and Viraj Singh Kuntal in this case. They are in judicial custody and a charge sheet under the PMLA was filed against them in August 2023, the probe agency said.

The Enforcement Directorate's case stems from various FIRs of the Rajasthan Police's Anti-terrorist Squad (ATS) and the Special Operations Group (SOG). "There was a well-planned conspiracy by the accused to defraud foreign nationals by opening virtual call centres and bank accounts in the USA which were being operated from Jaipur, Mohali, Mathura and some other parts of India.

"The proceeds of crime generated had been routed through various Indian and foreign bank accounts opened in the name of accused persons and shell companies registered by them," the agency alleged. It said the proceeds of crime generated in this case were "ultimately invested in properties to project them as genuine and untainted."