The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth ₹7.93 crore belonging to former Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, actors Sonu Sood and Neha Sharma, former Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty, Bengali actor Ankush Hazra and Urvashi Rautela, in a money laundering case linked to an “illegal” offshore betting platform.
"ED, Headquarters office has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets valued at Rs. 7.93 Crore belonging to Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthhapa, Urvashi Rautela, Sonu Sood, Mimi Chakraborty, Ankush Hazra and Neha Sharma under PMLA, 2002 in the case of illegal online betting platform 1xBet. Total attachment in this case stands at Rs.19.07 Crore, so far," the agency shared on X.
Earlier, on October 6, the agency had attached assets amounting to ₹11.14 crore belonging to former Indian cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina.
All the named individuals were previously questioned by the ED regarding their associations with the platform. The investigation continues, with the potential for further attachments as financial trails are traced.
The action, taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, is part of an ongoing probe into the illegal offshore betting platform 1xBet, registered in Curaçao, which is alleged to have generated proceeds of crime exceeding ₹1,000 crore through unauthorised operations in India.
According to the probe agency, the celebrities knowingly entered into endorsement agreements with foreign entities for the promotion of 1xBet through its surrogate platforms.
These endorsements were made in return for payments routed through foreign entities to conceal the illicit origin of the funds, which are linked to proceeds of crime (POC) generated from illegal betting activities.
According to the investigation, these celebrities had entered into endorsement agreements with foreign entities to promote 1xBet and its surrogate brands (such as 1xBat) through social media, online videos and print advertisements. These promotions targeted Indian users, despite the platform operating without authorisation in the country.
