Mumbai, Dec 19: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said it has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs 7.93 crore belonging to several celebrities, including former cricketers
Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, and actors Urvashi Rautela, Sonu Sood, Mimi Chakraborty, Ankush Hazra and Neha Sharma, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with its probe into an illegal online betting platform case.
Earlier Attachments in Same Case
The latest attachment comes weeks after a similar action on October 6, when the agency froze assets worth Rs 11.19 crore belonging to cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina in the same case.
Break-Up of Attached Assets
According to officials, the attached assets include properties and bank balances worth Rs 2.5 crore linked to Yuvraj Singh, Rs 8.26 lakh belonging to Robin Uthappa, Rs 2.02 crore linked to Urvashi Rautela and registered in the name of her mother, Rs 1 crore belonging to Sonu Sood, Rs 59 lakh linked to Mimi Chakraborty, Rs 47.20 lakh belonging to Ankush Hazra, and Rs 1.26 crore linked to Neha Sharma.
With this action, the ED has now attached assets worth Rs 19.12 crore in the case so far.
Celebrities Allegedly Promoted Surrogate Betting Brands
The ED investigation alleged that several celebrities were engaged to promote surrogate brands such as 1xBat and 1xBat Sporting Lines, which allegedly redirected users to the main illegal offshore betting platform 1xBet. Payments to endorsers were reportedly routed through foreign entities to disguise their origin, which the ED has classified as “proceeds of crime” under the PMLA.
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Over Rs 1,000 Crore Allegedly Laundered
The case pertains to an ongoing investigation into alleged money laundering, illegal online betting and tax evasion involving the Curacao-registered betting platform 1xBet. The agency has alleged that the platform operated illegally in India without requisite licences and used a network of over 6,000 mule bank accounts to route and launder money through layered transactions. The total proceeds allegedly laundered are suspected to exceed Rs 1,000 crore.
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