ED cracks down: Yuvraj Singh, Sonu Sood and others lose crores in 1xBet betting app scandal

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday took major action in a money laundering case involving the online betting platform 1XBET, dealing a major blow to several prominent personalities from the cricket and Bollywood worlds. Taking strict action, the central investigating agency has attached the properties of cricketers Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, actor Sonu Sood, and actress Neha Sharma, among others. This action was taken due to these celebrities allegedly promoting illegal betting apps and having suspicious transactions with foreign entities. The agency had questioned all these stars several times before seizing the properties, following which this major action was taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The scope of the ED's action in this case is continuously expanding. It is noteworthy that the agency had previously tightened its grip on former Indian cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina in the same case. The investigating agency had seized Dhawan's Delhi commercial plot worth Rs 4.5 crore and Raina's mutual funds worth Rs 6.64 crore, totaling assets worth Rs 11.14 crore. The ED estimates that this entire scam involves money laundering of approximately Rs 1,000 crore. Recently, actress Neha Sharma also appeared before the ED, where she was questioned about her association with this platform through advertisements.

Registered in Curacao, 1XBet was operating in India without any valid permission. The ED investigation revealed that the app was targeting Indian users through social media and digital advertisements. The investigating agency has made serious allegations in its report, stating that cricketers and actors entered into agreements with foreign entities "knowingly." It is alleged that payments were accepted through foreign channels to conceal the source of "proceeds of crime" earned from illegal betting and in return, this illegal platform was promoted.

The ED's list of suspects in this high-profile case is long. In addition to Yuvraj, Uthappa, and Sonu Sood, 1XBet's Indian brand ambassador Urvashi Rautela, former Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty, and Bengali actor Ankush Hazra have also been questioned. With the central government's recent stringent laws banning real-money gaming, celebrities promoting such apps has become a thorn in their side. This ED action indicates that no celebrity involved in promoting illegal betting will be spared.