NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate attached assets worth Rs 18.10 crore on Monday in connection with the illegal online betting platform 1xBet. With this attachment, the total value of assets attached in the case now stands at Rs. 37.23 crore.
Investigation conducted by federal investigation agency revealed that 1xBet was operating in India without authorisation and was promoting illegal online betting and gambling activities through multiple mirror websites.
“The platform adopted a concealed mechanism for collection of funds through dynamically generated UPI IDs linked to mule bank accounts, thereby disguising the actual beneficiaries and by layering the Proceeds of Crime,” the agency said.
Further investigation revealed that Parthtech Developers LLP, which operates high-traffic cricket platforms CREX and OneCricket, entered into structured advertisement agreements with Bwise Media AG, Switzerland, for promotion of illegal betting platforms including 1xBet.
“Statements recorded under Section 50 of PMLA established that advertisements of 1xBet were directly booked, geo-targeted, and executed on the CREX platform through Parthtech Developers LLP in-house advertisement server “Parth Adex”,” the agency said.
Last year, ED provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs 7.93 crore of several celebrities, including former cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa and actors Urvashi Rautela, Sonu Sood, former TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty, Ankush Hazra, and Neha Sharma, in connection with the case.
Before that, the agency attached assets worth Rs 11.14 crore linked to former cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina in the same case.