Raina and Dhawan Under ED Scanner in ₹1,000 Crore OneXBet Money Laundering Case

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken major action against former Indian cricketers Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan in connection with the OneXBet money laundering case. The agency has provisionally attached assets worth ₹11.14 crore belonging to both players.

According to ED, the seized assets include mutual funds worth ₹6.64 crore linked to Suresh Raina and ₹4.5 crore belonging to Shikhar Dhawan. The investigation revealed that both cricketers allegedly supported representatives of OneXBet, despite being aware that the platform was illegal in India.

The agency has also uncovered a ₹1,000 crore money laundering network, involving over 6,000 fake mutual fund accounts and multiple unverified payment gateways. So far, ED has frozen more than ₹4 crore in funds and 60 bank accounts as part of the probe.

ED officials said that both players knowingly endorsed OneXBet and its surrogate brands, which contributed to the promotion of illegal online betting in India. They allegedly signed promotional contracts with foreign companies and received payments through layered transactions via foreign intermediaries, concealing the origin of illicit funds.

The broader investigation began after several state police FIRs were filed against the companies for fraud, illegal online betting, and unauthorized financial transactions. Based on these FIRs, the ED registered a money laundering case, uncovering links to foreign bank accounts and hawala networks.

OneXBet reportedly expanded its reach among Indian sports fans through sports promotion contracts, paying celebrities and influencers to advertise its app and services.