‘1xBet betting App’ probe: ED attaches assets of Mimi & Ankush Hazra

Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets linked to Tollywood actors Mimi Chakraborty and Ankush Hazra in connection with its money laundering probe into an alleged illegal online betting racket involving 1xBet and its

surrogate brands.

The Central agency said the investigation began following FIRs registered in multiple states against the operators of 1xBet, a Curacao-based betting platform that allegedly operated in India without authorisation. According to the ED, the platform and its associated brands promoted and facilitated illegal online betting and gambling across the country.

To widen its reach, the agency alleged, the betting platform engaged film actors, sportspersons and social media influencers for advertisements and surrogate promotions—an act prohibited under Indian law.

In a statement issued on Friday, the ED said it has provisionally attached assets worth Rs 7.93 crore belonging to several celebrities. Those named include former cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, actors Sonu Sood, Mimi Chakraborty and Ankush Hazra, model Neha Sharma, and Meera Rautela, mother of actor and 1xBet India ambassador Urvashi Rautela.

Of the attached assets, around Rs 59 lakh is linked to Chakraborty and Rs 47.20 lakh to Hazra. The ED alleged these amounts were “proceeds of crime” generated through endorsement deals, with payments routed via foreign entities to mask their origin.