Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here on Wednesday for questioning in an alleged illegal betting app-linked money laundering case, official sources said.
The federal probe agency will record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of this investigation is linked to an “illegal” betting app named 1xBet, the sources said.
How is Raina linked to the case?
The 38-year-old former Indian cricketer is understood to have been linked to the app through certain endorsements. The ED wants to understand his links with this app during the questioning.
The agency is probing multiple such cases involving illegal betting apps that are alleged to have duped numerous people and investors worth crores of rupees or have evaded a huge amount of taxes.
Crackdown on celebrities over their link to betting apps
Earlier this year, the Telangana police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against 25 celebrities and influencers, including popular figures like Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda, and Manchu Lakshmi, for allegedly promoting illegal betting and gambling apps through their social media platforms.
The FIR was filed at the Miyapur Police Station in Hyderabad following a petition by 32-year-old businessman PM Phanindra Sarma. The complaint, lodged on March 19 this year, highlights a disturbing trend of celebrities and influencers promoting illegal gambling apps that violate the Public Gambling Act of 1867.
Sarma claims that during a conversation with youth in his community on March 16, he discovered many individuals had been influenced to invest their money in these gambling apps, which were heavily advertised by social media personalities.
According to the complaint, these celebrities are allegedly accepting large sums of money to promote various betting platforms, which encourage users to gamble their hard-earned money. Sarma himself was on the verge of investing in one of these platforms but refrained after his family warned him about the potential financial dangers.
The petition emphasises that these apps and platforms are causing widespread financial harm, particularly among lower and middle-class families who are being lured into the false promise of easy money. The apps often rely on celebrities to build credibility, leading vulnerable individuals to invest substantial amounts of money, only to face financial ruin.
The Telangana police have charged the accused under multiple sections of the TS Gaming Act and the IT Act, including Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, which deals with cheating and identity theft.
The FIR also includes sections that address the promotion of illegal betting activities, with the investigation now being handled by Officer G Ramesh Naidu. “This investigation underscores our commitment to protecting the public from harmful gambling and betting platforms that exploit individuals for financial gain,” said K Kranthi Kumar, Inspector of Police, Police Stations Miyapur.