Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan's assets worth INR 11.4 crore attached by ED in online betting case
Assets totalling ₹11.14 crore belonging to cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina have been attached by the ED amid a money-laundering investigation.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth ₹11.14 crore belonging to former Indian cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina in connection with a money-laundering investigation linked to the alleged illegal betting platform 1xBet, reported news agency PTI, citing official sources on Thursday.
According to the report, a provisional attachment order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The order covers an immovable property of Dhawan valued at ₹4.5 crore and a mutual fund investment of Raina amounting to ₹6.64 crore.
The ED’s probe revealed that both Dhawan and Raina “knowingly” entered into endorsement agreements with foreign entities associated with the promotion of 1xBet and its surrogate brands. The federal agency alleged that these promotional activities were linked to entities involved in operating or promoting illegal online betting services accessible in India.
The investigation forms part of a larger crackdown on the operations of 1xBet, a betting portal registered in Curacao. The website presents itself as a globally recognised bookmaker with over 18 years in the betting industry.
As part of the probe, the ED has also questioned several other prominent personalities, including former cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, actors Sonu Sood and Urvashi Rautela, former Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty, and Bengali actor Ankush Hazra, regarding their promotional associations with the betting platform and its surrogates.
The agency has been examining financial transactions, endorsement deals, and promotional campaigns to determine the flow of funds from offshore entities to Indian accounts.
