New Delhi, Dec 19: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached assets worth several crores belonging to a string of high-profile celebrities, including former Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, ex-TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty, Bollywood actor Sonu Sood, and others, as part of a sweeping money laundering investigation linked to the notorious illegal betting app 1xBet. Official sources revealed Friday that the case involves illicit proceeds exceeding Rs 1,000 crore from the Curacao-registered platform, with all named individuals having been questioned by the agency earlier and their properties now classified as “proceeds of crime” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Among the attached assets are Rs 2.5 crore linked to Yuvraj Singh, approximately Rs 1 crore from Sonu Sood, Rs 59 lakh of Mimi Chakraborty, Rs 1.26 crore belonging to actor Neha Sharma, Rs 8.26 lakh from Robin Uthappa, Rs 47 lakh of Bengali actor Ankush Hazra, and Rs 2.02 crore tied to the mother of model Urvashi Rautela. The ED’s provisional orders target these properties amid allegations that the celebrities were involved with or benefited from the app’s operations, which have drawn intense scrutiny for facilitating illegal gambling and laundering activities across India.
This latest action builds on prior enforcement steps by the agency, which had earlier seized assets totaling Rs 11.14 crore from fellow cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina in the same probe. Sources indicated that the investigation continues to uncover deeper networks connected to 1xBet, highlighting growing concerns over celebrity endorsements and involvement in offshore betting rackets that undermine financial regulations and public trust. The developments come as Indian authorities intensify crackdowns on digital gambling platforms amid rising cases of money laundering tied to international apps.
