ED To Seize Assets Of Actors, Players

New Delhi: 28 Assets worth crores owned by certain sportspersons and actors may soon be attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with its probe into 1xBet, according to official sources. Investigators have found that some celebrities used endorsement fees from the company to acquire assets now categorised as “proceeds of crime.

” These include movable and immovable properties, some of them located abroad in countries such as the UAE. Quantification and valuation of the properties is underway, after which a provisional attachment order will be issued. The order will then be placed before the Adjudicating Authority for confirmation, paving the way for a chargesheet and eventual confiscation. Over the past few weeks, the ED has questioned cricketers Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa, and Shikhar Dhawan, along with actors Sonu Sood, Mimi Chakraborty, and Ankush Hazra. Actor Urvashi Rautela, the "India ambassador" for 1xBet, was also summoned but did not appear, citing travel abroad. Several online influencers have been examined as well.

Their statements were recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA, and many submitted account statements and transaction details showing endorsement fees received from the company. The agency is also probing how the celebrities were contacted by the betting platform, the nodal persons involved, payment modes, including possible hawala channels, and whether payments were made in India or abroad.