On Friday, December 19, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached assets worth ₹7.93 crore belonging to former Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, former Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty, and actor Sonu Sood as part of its money-laundering investigation into the illegal betting app 1xBet.
Others who have had their homes attached include model Neha Sharma, Bengali actor Ankush Hazra, and Meera Rautela, the mother of actor and 1xBet India ambassador Urvashi Rautela. The federal investigation agency also warned celebrities and social media influencers that endorsing or promoting unlawful betting or gaming networks, including through surrogate marketing, is a criminal violation.
The latest provisional attachment order issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) includes assets worth approximately ₹1 crore belonging to Sonu Sood, ₹59 lakh of Mimi Chakraborty, ₹2.5 crore linked to
Yuvraj Singh’s company YWC Health and Wellness Pvt Ltd, ₹1.26 crore of Neha Sharma, ₹8.26 lakh of Robin Uthappa, ₹47.20 lakh of Ankush Hazra, and ₹2.02 crore belonging to Meera Raut.
The ED stated that it recorded all of the accused celebrities’ remarks over several hours and claimed that the attached assets are proceeds of crime, which are defined by the PMLA as illicit money acquired via criminal actions. The agency also stated that these celebrities intentionally signed into endorsement deals with overseas businesses to promote 1xBet via surrogate platforms.
“These endorsements were made in return for payments routed through foreign entities to conceal the illicit origin of the funds, which are linked to proceeds of crime generated from illegal betting activities,” the statement read as quoted by Hindustan Times.
ED, Headquarters office has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets valued at Rs. 7.93 Crore belonging to Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthhapa, Urvashi Rautela, Sonu Sood, Mimi Chakraborty, Ankush Hazra and Neha Sharma under PMLA, 2002 in the case of illegal online betting… pic.twitter.com/2prhaSNcsV
— ED (@dir_ed) December 19, 2025
According to the ED, Curaçao-based 1xBet operated in India without the requisite authorisation and relied on surrogate branding and advertisements to target Indian users through social media platforms, online videos, and print media. The agency’s investigation found that endorsement payments were routed through layered financial transactions involving foreign intermediaries in an attempt to conceal the illegal origin of the funds.
The ED stated that the money-laundering probe originated from multiple FIRs registered by various state police agencies against the operators of 1xBet. During the course of its investigation, the agency found that the offshore betting platform used a surrogate brand, 1xBat. Entities operating under the 1xBat name were allegedly involved in promoting and facilitating illegal online betting and gambling activities across India.
In a similar action taken in October, the ED had attached assets worth ₹11.14 crore belonging to former Indian cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina as part of the same investigation. Meanwhile, the Union government has recently introduced legislation aimed at banning real-money online gaming in India.
India
