NEW DELHI: In a act of deception, online gaming platform WinZO secretly made its customers play against bots, artificial intelligence and algorithmic software instead of real human opponents in real-money games while simultaneously blocking and limiting withdrawals of funds held in players' digital wallets, said the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday.
ED added that they have seized Rs 505 crore parked in foreign banks in the US and Singapore.
In one of the biggest seizers, ED attached 247 properties worth Rs. 10,021.46 crore across Punjab in large-scale financial fraud involving an investment scheme operated by PACL Ltd. and related entities.
“The company was involved unscrupulous practices where customers were made to play with BOTs, artificial intelligence, algorithms, software - termed as PPP, EP and Persona - and not with humans in real money games,” the agency said.
Adding to the fraud, WinZO Pvt Ltd also raked in massive illegal profits —'Proceeds of Crime'— through rake commissions earned from matches played between bots and real, unsuspecting players on its app.
By deploying bots and simultaneously restricting fund withdrawals, the company created a trap that compelled users to keep playing match after match.
With each game, players' deposited amounts were progressively siphoned off in the form of rake commission charged on every match, systematically converting user deposits into company revenue.
“The cumulative effect of this calculated mechanism allowed WinZO to drain players' wallets over years — generating total Proceeds of Crime amounting to a staggering Rs. 3,522.05 crore between the financial years 2021-22 and 2025-26 (till August 22, 2025),” the ED said.
The agency has attached bank accounts of the company based in USA and Singapore held in the names of overseas shell companies of Winzo Pvt. Ltd., Winzo US Inc in USA and Winzo SG Pte. Ltd in Singapore, operated and controlled by Paavan Nanda and Saumya Singh Rathore.
Part of the direct Proceeds of Crime has been taken out of India to the US and Singapore under the garb of overseas investments.
All the operations and day-to-day business activities, operation of bank accounts was done from India, the agency said. Till date, the total proceeds of crime frozen are around Rs. 1194 crores.
Earlier, ED has conducted search and seizure operations at the office premises of Winzo Pvt. Ltd., and the residential premises of its Director on November 18, 2025 and its accounting Firm on December 30, 2025.