Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina under scanner! ED attaches INR 11.14 crore assets of former Indian cricketers in money laundering case

Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina were key players for India in white-ball cricket.

In what has been the latest development, it is learned that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday attached the assets of former Indian cricketers Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan in the 1xBet money laundering case. The duo were under the scanner for a while for their association with betting apps. 

The ED has been conducting a probe into its operations against betting firms on allegations of fraud worth crores and tax evasion. As per the ED, the headquarters office provisionally attached movable and immovable properties of Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The ED stated that attachment of the former Indian cricketers includes mutual fund investments valued at Rs 6.64 crores, which were held in Raina’s name and an immovable property valued at Rs 4.5 crores in Dhawan’s name. They also conducted searches at four payment gateways and uncovered a laundering trail of Rs 1,000 crore. 

The statement of the ED said that 1xBet and its surrogate brand 1xBat, 1xBat Sporting Lines promoted illegal online betting and gambling operations across India. They added that both Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan entered the endorsement despite knowing what they were doing. 

Suresh Raina questioned by the ED for over eight hours

Dhawan, whom ED has been investigating for a while, will have to record his statement under the PMLA. On the other hand, Suresh Raina was questioned by the ED for over eight hours in the same case. 

Raina, who was the key batter for India in white-ball cricket, was investigated for his promotional activities with the betting app. Not only the cricketers, but the ED also questioned representatives from tech companies Google and Meta.

These investigations by the ED come after the Indian government introduced new legislation to ban real-money online gaming. The ED’s actions reflect an intensified effort to combat illegal betting operations in the country.

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