The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa for questioning on Monday, September 22, in connection with a money laundering case linked to online betting, officials said. The agency has also called in former cricketer Yuvraj Singh on September 23, followed by actor Sonu Sood on September 24, for questioning in the same case, news agency PTI reported, citing sources.
Details of the specific case involving Uthappa are yet to be disclosed.
Uthappa, who hails from Karnataka, has represented India in international cricket and played for several franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
His summons comes just weeks after another Indian cricketer, Shikhar Dhawan, was questioned by the ED on September 4 in a similar probe into illegal online betting platforms.
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Celebrities under ED radar
The ED on Monday questioned former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP and actress Mimi Chakraborty, while Bengali actor Ankush Hazra was questioned on Tuesday. Officials said Bollywood actress Urvashi Rautela was also asked to appear before the agency on Tuesday, but she had not recorded her statement till the time of filing this report.
The ED has been summoning several celebrities to check their possible links with online betting apps, including endorsement fees they may have received and their communication with the platforms.
Tech giants also questioned
As part of the same investigation, representatives of Google and Meta were called by the agency in July.
The probe covers multiple illegal betting platforms, payments to media houses for advertisements, and promotion on social media and app stores.
Government advisory against betting ads
Illegal betting and gambling platforms have been found advertising through various channels, drawing scrutiny from the ED. In 2023, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued four advisories warning newspapers, TV channels, online publishers, ad intermediaries like Google and Facebook, and social media platforms not to promote betting platforms.