ED Seizes Rs 219 Crore in Fairplay Betting Scandal

The Enforcement Directorate attached assets worth Rs 219 crore in a money laundering case against the website Fairplay, linked to illegal online betting and broadcasting. Assets are located in various Indian states, with the case stemming from a Mumbai police FIR against Krish Laxmichand Shah.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized fresh assets valued at approximately Rs 219 crore in an ongoing money laundering investigation targeting Fairplay, a website accused of illicit online betting on the 2023 Lok Sabha elections and unauthorized broadcasts of IPL cricket matches, according to an announcement by the agency on Monday.

A provisional attachment order was filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act last week (November 22), encompassing holdings in demat accounts and several immovable assets, including land plots, flats, and commercial warehouses across Ajmer, Kutch, Daman, Thane, and Mumbai. These actions are part of the case against Fairplay, the ED stated in a release.

Evidently, Fairplay, run by Krish Laxmichand Shah from Dubai, was implicated in illegal cricket broadcasting and online betting. The total worth of attached assets now exceeds Rs 331 crore. The case originated from a Mumbai police FIR, with Shah and associates suspected of acquiring assets with illicitly-gained funds.

(With inputs from agencies.)