In a significant escalation of its probe into the promotion of illegal online betting platforms, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned four prominent film actors, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda, and Manchu Lakshmi, for questioning. The summonses are part of a broader investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), based on a series of FIRs filed in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
According to sources, Rana Daggubati has been asked to appear before the central agency on July 23. Prakash Raj has been summoned on July 30, followed by Vijay Deverakonda on August 6 and Manchu Lakshmi on August 13. These dates have been officially communicated to the actors through notices issued by the ED.
The investigation stems from an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) registered by the agency on July 10, which names 29 celebrities including actors, social media influencers, and YouTubers. The ECIR draws from multiple FIRs filed by police in Panjagutta, Miyapur, Suryapet, Visakhapatnam, and Cyberabad. These FIRs accuse the celebrities of promoting gambling and betting apps that allegedly violate the Public Gambling Act, 1867.
The ED’s move marks a decisive push to crack down on the use of celebrity endorsements in promoting platforms that are allegedly involved in money laundering. Among the platforms under scrutiny are Junglee Rummy, A23, JeetWin, Parimatch, and Lotus365. The agency suspects that paid promotions of these platforms facilitated the laundering of large sums of money through strategic endorsement deals and social media promotions.
Apart from the four actors summoned in the latest round, several other high-profile names are under the ED’s scanner. These include actors Nidhi Agarwal, Pranitha Subhash, Sreemukhi, and Shyamala. Television hosts and digital influencers like Varshini Sounderajan, Vasanthi Krishnan, Shoba Shetty, Amrutha Chowdary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padhmavathi, Harsha Sai, and Bayya Sunny Yadav have also been named in the case.
The agency’s action follows prior bookings made by the Hyderabad and Cyberabad Police, which had registered cases against many of these celebrities earlier this year. In March, actors including Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati and Prakash Raj were booked for allegedly endorsing betting platforms. At the time, several of them issued statements denying any illegal activity. While some claimed they only promoted legally permitted skill-based games, others stated that they had terminated contracts over ethical concerns. Prakash Raj, for instance, revealed that he did not renew an endorsement deal in 2017 after reconsidering its implications.
However, the ED has maintained that any financial transaction linked to platforms violating the Public Gambling Act could fall under the ambit of money laundering. The agency is expected to scrutinise financial trails, digital transactions, and endorsement contracts signed by the celebrities to determine the extent of complicity and the volume of money involved.
With this latest development, the ED has intensified its focus on the celebrity ecosystem surrounding online betting apps. The upcoming appearances of the summoned actors are expected to shed more light on the financial structures behind the promotion of these platforms.
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