ED attaches assets Yuvraj Singh, Sonu Sood, others in 'illegal' online betting case

New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has attached assets worth a combined Rs 8 crore of former Indian cricketers, actors and models like Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, ex TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty, Sonu Sood and some others as part of its money laundering probe against an "illegal" betting app named 1xBet.

The others whose properties have been attached include model Neha Sharma, Bengali actor Ankush Hazra and Meera Rautela, the mother of actor and 1xbet India Ambassador Urvashi Rautela.

The federal probe agency also "warned" celebrities and social media influencers that endorsing or promoting illegal betting or gambling platforms, including through surrogate promotions, is a punishable offence that attracts action under applicable laws.

The total value of properties under this fresh provisional attachment order, issued under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), is Rs 7.93 crore, the agency said in a statement.

This, as per official sources, include assets worth about Rs 1 crore of Sood, Rs 59 lakh of Chakraborty, Rs 2.5 crore of Yuvraj Singh's company named YWC Health and Wellness Pvt. Ltd., Rs 1.26 crore of Sharma, Rs 8.26 lakh of Uthappa, Rs 47.20 lakh of Hazra and Rs 2.02 crore of Rautela's mother.

The statements of all these celebrities were recorded by the agency for multiple hours and these assets have been alleged to be the "proceeds of crime" (illicit money under the PMLA) of illegal online betting.

The ED alleged in the statement that these these celebrities "knowingly" entered into endorsement agreements with foreign entities for the promotion of 1xBet through its surrogates.

"These endorsements were made in return for payments routed through foreign entities to conceal the illicit origin of the funds, which are linked to p roceeds of crime generated from illegal betting activities," it said.

Curacao-based 1xBet, as per the ED, operated in India "without authorisation" and used surrogate branding and advertisements to target Indian users through social media, online videos, and print media.

Payments for endorsements were structured through layered transactions using foreign intermediaries to disguise the "illegal" source of funds, the agency's probe found.

The money laundering probe stems from multiple FIRs registered by various state police agencies against the operators of 1xBet and ED's investigation found that the offshore betting app had a "surrogate" brand by the name 1xBat.

1xBat sporting lines were engaged in promoting and facilitating "illegal" online betting and gambling operations across India, the ED claimed.

In a similar action undertaken in October, the agency had attached assets worth Rs 11.14 crore of former cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina as part of this investigation.

The Union government has recently brought a legislation to ban real money online-gaming in India.

According to estimates by market analysis firms and probe agencies undertaken before the government ban, there were about 22 crore Indian users in various such online betting apps, out of which half were regular users.

The ED said in a footnote in the statement that illegal betting and gambling platforms cause serious economic harm and are widely used for money laundering and other unlawful activities.

"The public is advised to avoid such platforms and report any suspicious transactions or advertisements to law enforcement agencies, or the ED," it said. PTI NES ZMN