The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has announced the attachment of movable and immovable assets worth approximately INR 11 crore belonging to Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan in connection with a money laundering investigation connected to the online betting platform 1xBet, months after questioning a number of former Indian cricket players.
The attachment included an immovable property valued at INR 4.5 crore registered in Dhawan’s name and mutual fund investments worth around INR 6.64 crore held in Suresh Raina name, according to ED officials. This comes after the ED recorded a number of remarks made by Suresh Raina, Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, and Robin Uthappa in September when the agency questioned them about their alleged affiliations.
According to an ED spokeswoman, the agency’s investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) is predicated on several formal complaints (FIRs) that police have filed against the operators of the illicit offshore betting network 1xBet in various states.
The investigation also found that Suresh Raina and Dhawan had intentionally signed endorsement contracts with international companies to use surrogate arrangements to market 1xBet.
The Indian Express cited the spokesperson as saying, “These endorsements were made in exchange for payments that were routed through foreign entities to conceal the illicit origin of the funds, which are linked to proceeds of crime generated from illegal betting activities.”
The representative went on to say, “An investigation has shown that 1xBet and its surrogate brands 1xBat and 1xbat Sporting lines were involved in promoting and facilitating illegal online betting and gambling operations throughout India.”
The inquiry also found that 1xBet used surrogate branding and ads to target Indian audiences through print media campaigns, internet videos, and social media platforms while operating in India without the required authorization.
“In order to conceal the illicit source of cash, endorsement payments were organized through layered transactions involving international middlemen. According to the spokeswoman, the attachment is a follow-up to the ED’s search operations conducted in accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).
As part of the ongoing inquiry, the ED also called and recorded the statements of Bengali actor Ankush Hazra, Bollywood actor Urvashi Rautela, former TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty, and actor Sonu Sood in addition to former Indian cricket players.
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