ED Attaches Assets Worth Rs 11.14 Crore of Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan in 1xBet Money Laundering Case

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ED Attaches Assets Worth Rs 11.14 Crore of Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan in 1xBet Money Laundering Case
ED Attaches Assets Worth Rs 11.14 Crore of Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan in 1xBet Money Laundering Caseq

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached properties worth ₹11.14 crore belonging to former Indian cricketers Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan. The action was taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 as part of the ongoing investigation into illegal betting operations connected to the offshore platform 1xBet and its related brands 1xBat and 1xBat Sporting Lines.

What the ED Has Attached

The ED has issued a provisional order to attach:

Why the Action Was Taken

According to the ED, both cricketers “knowingly” signed endorsement agreements with foreign companies linked to 1xBet. The platform is banned in India, and promoting or supporting it is illegal. The federal agency said the endorsements were used to promote 1xBet and its surrogate brands, which helped the illegal betting platform reach Indian users.

“Probe has revealed that 1xBet and its surrogate brand 1xBat, 1xbat Sporting lines were engaged in promoting and facilitating illegal online betting and gambling operations across India,” the spokesperson added.

“Payments for endorsements were structured through layered transactions using foreign intermediaries to disguise the illegal source of funds. The attachment follows ED’s search operations under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA),” the spokesperson said.

Payments Routed Through Foreign Channels

The investigation found that the payments to these celebrities were made through layered foreign transactions to hide the illegal source of money. The funds came from betting profits and were disguised as normal endorsement income. The ED said that despite knowing that 1xBet was not allowed to operate in India, the celebrities still promoted the brand.

Other Celebrities Questioned

Along with Raina and Dhawan, the ED has also questioned:

These individuals were reportedly involved in promotional activities for the same entities.

How the Illegal Betting Network Worked

The ED’s case is based on several FIRs filed by state police forces across India. The investigation revealed:

“Probe has revealed that 1xbet was facilitating betting and gambling for Indian users by collecting money through various mule accounts and it came to fore so far that they had used over 6,000 mule accounts for deposits. Amounts collected from users in these mule accounts were routed through multiple payment gateways to disguise their origin and merchants were onboarded on these gateways without any KYC verifications,” the spokesperson said

Recent ED Searches

During search operations at four payment gateways, the ED:

About 1xBet

1xBet is registered in Curacao and claims to be an international betting company with 18 years of experience. Despite this, it is not legally permitted to operate in India.

ED Issues Public Warning

The ED has issued strict warnings to the public:

The agency also warned that allowing one’s bank account to be used for such activities can lead to prosecution under the PMLA, with punishment of up to 7 years in jail.

Further Investigation

The ED is now examining the role of payment intermediaries, Involvement of celebrity endorsers, Foreign entities and beneficiaries linked to the betting network. The agency has urged citizens to report any suspicious online betting activities or advertisements to the ED or local law enforcement.

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