The Directorate of Enforcement(ED) has provisionally attached properties valued at Rs 7.93 crore belonging to several high-profile celebrities, including former cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, actors Urvashi Rautela, Sonu Sood, Neha Sharma, Ankush Hazra and former Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member Mimi Chakraborty.
The agency made attachments under the provisions of the Prevention of Money LaunderingAct (PMLA), 2002, as part of an ongoing probe into the illegal offshore betting platform 1xBet and its surrogate brands, such as 1xBat and 1xBat Sporting Lines.
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Celebrity endorsements linked to ‘Proceeds of Crime’
The ED’s probe, initiated on the basis of multiple cases filed by various state police agencies, revealed that 1xBet operated without authorisation in India, targeting users through surrogate branding, social media promotions, online videos, and print media.
The probe found that the celebrities “knowingly” entered into endorsement agreements with foreign entities linked to 1xBet. Payments for these endorsements were routed through layered transactions involving foreign intermediaries to conceal their origin from illegal betting activities, which the agency classifies as proceeds of crime.
Growing crackdown on illegal betting platforms
Earlier, on November 6, the ED had attached assets worth Rs 11.14 crore belonging to former cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina for similar reasons. With the fresh attachments, the total value of seized assets in the 1xBet probe has crossed Rs 19 crore.
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The agency stated that illegal betting and gambling platforms cause significant economic harm, facilitate money laundering, and enable other unlawful activities. In a public advisory, the ED urged citizens to avoid such platforms and report suspicious advertisements or transactions to law enforcement.
“Celebrities and social media influencers are specifically warned that endorsing or promoting illegal betting or gambling platforms, including through surrogate promotions, is a punishable offence and attracts action under applicable laws,” the agency said in statement. |
