ED raids premises of 'lottery king' Santiago Martin, Aadhav Arjuna across Chennai, Coimbatore

The raid on Santiago Martin, Aadhav Arjuna is part of the money laundering investigation.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a series of new raids on Thursday against Santiago Martin, the CEO of Future Gaming and a prominent Chennai-based businessman, known in media circles as the “lottery king,” and his son-in-law Aadhav Arjuna. Arjuna serves as the Deputy General Secretary of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK). This fresh round of searches is part of a long-standing money laundering investigation, according to reports.

The ED’s action follows a recent ruling by the Madras High Court, which allowed them to resume its investigation into Martin’s financial dealings. Previously, the Tamil Nadu Police had decided to close the (FIR) against Martin and several associates, and a lower court had accepted this decision.

However, the High Court’s ruling has since reversed that outcome, permitting the federal probe to continue. The raids were concentrated in various locations across Chennai and Coimbatore linked to Martin and Arjuna.

It was earlier revealed that Martin had donated over Rs 1,300 crore to political parties through electoral bonds. The investigation initially started in 2019 and gained momentum last year when the agency attached assets worth Rs 457 crore in connection with an alleged loss of over Rs 900 crore to the Sikkim government.

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This loss was reportedly tied to fraudulent sales of Sikkim state lottery tickets in Kerala, a business that Martin’s company, Future Gaming Solutions India Pvt. Ltd., oversees as a primary distributor.

Further complicating Martin’s case, Election Commission data released recently indicated that Future Gaming was one of the largest buyers of electoral bonds between 2019 and 2024, amassing over Rs 1,300 crore in donations during this period. Last month, the Madras High Court set aside an earlier order from a lower court that had accepted the closure of a Chennai Police case involving the seizure of an “unaccounted” Rs 7.2 crore from Martin’s residence.

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