NEW DELHI: Actor and model Urvashi Rautela appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday in connection with a money laundering case linked to the online betting and gaming platform 1xBet, official sources said.
The 31-year-old is the Indian brand ambassador for the platform, which is registered in the Caribbean island of Curaçao.
The federal agency has begun recording her statement under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources confirmed.
Over recent weeks, the ED has questioned several celebrities in relation to the case, including cricketers Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa, and Shikhar Dhawan, as well as actors Sonu Sood, Mimi Chakraborty (a former TMC MP), and Ankush Hazra of Bengali cinema. Several online influencers have also been summoned.
The agency is expected to attach assets worth crores of rupees belonging to some sportspersons and actors, as part of the probe under the anti-money laundering law.
Investigations into the 1xBet platform have revealed that certain celebrities used the endorsement fees paid to them to acquire various assets, which the ED has categorised as “proceeds of crime” under the PMLA.
According to 1xBet, it is a globally recognised bookmaker with 18 years in the betting industry. Its website claims that users can place bets on thousands of sporting events, with the site and app available in 70 languages.
The Union government recently banned real money online gaming in India through legislative measures. Prior to the ban, market analysis firms and investigating agencies estimated that around 22 crore Indians were users of various online betting platforms, half of whom were regular users.