A high-profile extortion racket has been busted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), exposing a sophisticated operation that preyed on the fear of India’s most powerful institutions like SC and ED. Four men — Maqbool Abdul Rehman Doctor,Kashif Maqbool Doctor,Mahesh Mafatlal Desai, and Om Rajendra Pandya — allegedly masterminded a fake summons scam that duped several wealthy individuals across Surat and Gujarat of nearly ₹100 crore.

The Modus Operandi: Fear as a Weapon

The gang’s strategy was very simple but terrifyingly effective. They created bogus summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and even the Supreme Court of India (SC), complete with forged seals, signatures, and official letterheads. These counterfeit notices were delivered to influential businessmen, builders, and investors, warning them of imminent arrest in connection with “financial irregularities” or “money laundering investigations.”

Once the victims panicked, the extortionists would make their move. Disguised as middlemen or “contacts” who could “manage” the case, they demanded huge sums of money in exchange for “withdrawing” the summons or “settling” the matter discreetly.

From Cash to Crypto

The money trail revealed a digital twist to this old-school intimidation. Funds were transferred to fake bank accounts opened under forged identities and swiftly routed through layers of transactions before being converted into cryptocurrencies, making the trail nearly untraceable.

Sources in the ED said the group used multiple wallets and international crypto exchanges to park their illicit gains, giving the operation a cross-border financial dimension.

The Crackdown

The ED tracked the gang’s activities after multiple victims came forward, suspecting something was amiss when the so-called “officials” refused to meet them in ED premises. A coordinated operation led to the arrest of all four accused, who were produced before the ED Court in Ahmedabad earlier this week.

Investigators are now probing the possible involvement of insiders or digital forgers who may have helped design the fake documents and facilitate the crypto conversions.