HYDERABAD: The Enforcement Directorate has questioned casino operator Chikoti Praveen for possible FEMA violations in buying several luxury cars organising poker games in Thailand. The officials of the ED inquired with Chikoti Praveen who was detained in Pattaya Thailand a few days back along with Madhav Reddy, DCCB Medak Chairman Ch Devender Reddy, and a few others about the poker game. They wanted to know how Praveen and others organise the game, and how much money is spent there in Thailand.
Praveen is already under ED’s radar for possible FEMA violations in taking people to casinos in Nepal and Indonesia. The agency questioned him for seven hours, focusing mostly on financial transactions related to their Thailand poker game. The investigation agency had asked him to submit the details of the source of money spent in Thailand.
The ED suspects that Chikoti Praveen and other persons had laundered money by organising poker games in Thailand. The sources stated that the agency had investigated two persons Naseer and Moshin who reportedly brought cars for use by Chikoti Praveen without paying tax.