ED attaches assets of Yuvraj Singh, Sonu Sood, others in 1xBet money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth ₹7.93 crore belonging to several prominent cricketers and film personalities in connection with a money laundering probe linked to illegal online betting platform 1xBet. 

Among those whose assets were attached are former Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, actors Sonu Sood and Neha Sharma, as well as assets linked to model Urvashi Rautela, former Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty, and Bengali actor Ankush Hazra. 

According to sources, the attached assets include: 

• Yuvraj Singh: ₹2.5 crore 
• Robin Uthappa: ₹8.26 lakh 
• Urvashi Rautela: ₹2.02 crore (property registered in her mother’s name) 
• Sonu Sood: ₹1 crore 
• Mimi Chakraborty: ₹59 lakh 
• Ankush Hazra: ₹47.20 lakh 
• Neha Sharma: ₹1.26 crore 

With the latest action, the ED has now attached assets worth ₹19.07 crore in the case so far. Earlier, the agency had provisionally attached assets worth ₹4.55 crore belonging to Shikhar Dhawan and ₹6.64 crore linked to Suresh Raina. 

What is the 1xBet case? 

The 1xBet case is an ongoing ED investigation into alleged money laundering, illegal online betting, and tax evasion involving the Curacao-registered betting platform 1xBet and its associated surrogate brands. 

The ED has alleged that 1xBet operated illegally in India without the necessary licences and used a wide network of more than 6,000 mule bank accounts to route and launder money through layered financial transactions. The total amount allegedly laundered is suspected to exceed ₹1,000 crore. 

Investigators claim that several celebrities were engaged to promote surrogate brands such as 1xBat, which allegedly redirected users to the main illegal betting platform. Payments to endorsers were reportedly routed through foreign entities to conceal the source of funds, which the ED has classified as “proceeds of crime” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). 

The investigation is ongoing, and further attachments and questioning are likely as the probe progresses.