NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said it has seized assets worth Rs 7.93 crore belonging to several film personalities, former cricketers and an actress-turned-politician in connection with an illegal offshore betting platform case.
The agency has attached movable and immovable assets under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, linked to former cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa. Assets of Bollywood actors Urvashi Rautela and Sonu Sood, Rautela’s mother Meera Rautela, Bengali actor Ankush Hazra, and former TMC MP and actor Mimi Chakraborty have also been attached.
According to the ED, the attached assets include about Rs 2.5 crore linked to Yuvraj Singh, Rs 8.26 lakh of Robin Uthappa, Rs 1 crore of Sonu Sood, Rs 59 lakh of Mimi Chakraborty, Rs 47 lakh of Ankush Hazra, Rs 2.02 crore of Meera Rautela, and Rs 1.26 crore linked to another accused.
The probe was initiated based on multiple FIRs registered by various state police agencies against operators of the illegal offshore betting platform 1xBet. The investigation revealed that 1xBet and its surrogate brands, including 1xBat and 1xBat Sporting Lines, were involved in promoting and facilitating illegal online betting and gambling operations in India.
The ED said celebrities had allegedly entered into endorsement agreements with foreign entities to promote 1xBet through surrogate platforms. Payments for these endorsements were routed through foreign intermediaries to conceal the illicit origin of funds, which the agency claims are proceeds of crime generated from illegal betting activities.
Further investigation revealed that 1xBet operated in India without authorisation and used surrogate branding, social media, online videos and print advertisements to target Indian users. The endorsement payments were allegedly structured through layered transactions to disguise their illegal source.
Earlier, on October 6, 2025, the ED had attached assets worth Rs 11.14 crore linked to cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina in the same case.
The agency cautioned that illegal betting and gambling platforms cause serious economic damage and are frequently used for money laundering and other unlawful activities. It warned celebrities and social media influencers that endorsing or promoting illegal betting or gambling platforms, including through surrogate advertisements, is a punishable offence under applicable laws.