ED Questions Celebrities In 1xBet Money Laundering Case; Yuvraj Singh Appears Today, Sonu Sood Summoned Next

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) intensified its probe into the money laundering case linked to online betting platform 1xBet by summoning celebrities, reported Hindustan Times.

Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh will appear before the agency on Tuesday (23 September), while actor Sonu Sood has been directed to join the investigation on Wednesday.

On Monday, the ED grilled former cricketer Robin Uthappa for over eight hours and recorded his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The agency has already questioned several well-known personalities, including ex-cricketers Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan, Trinamool Congress MP and actor Mimi Chakraborty, and Bengali actor Ankush Hazra.

Investigators are examining how 1xBet allegedly duped investors of crores of rupees while evading massive direct and indirect taxes.

Officials are asking celebrities how the betting company approached them for endorsements, who acted as the point of contact in India, and whether payments were routed through banking channels or hawala, in India or abroad.

The ED has also demanded copies of contracts, emails, and other documents related to these endorsements.

According to reports, the agency wants to determine if the celebrities knew that online betting and gaming were illegal in India. It is also verifying how the money earned from endorsements was used, to establish whether it constitutes “proceeds of crime” under PMLA.

The Union government recently banned real money online gaming across India.

Following this, the ED announced “focused strategies” at a senior officers’ meeting in Jammu and Kashmir to crack down on financial crimes linked to illegal betting and gaming platforms.

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