Illegal betting: ED seizes Dubai properties, assets worth Rs 307 crore

Mumbai, Sep 22 (IANS) As part of the probe into illegal betting on the Fairplay platform, the ED attached Dubai-based properties and movable assets worth Rs 307.16 crore, an official said on Monday.

The latest action by the Enforcement Directorate, Mumbai zonal office, on Friday took the total value of attachment and seizure in this case till date to Rs 651.31crore.

Assets seized under the fresh action include bank balances and lands/villas, flats located in Dubai (UAE). The action was taken under PMLA, 2002, as part of the ongoing probe in the case of the Fairplay platform website allegedly involved in illegal broadcasting and online betting activities, said the official in a statement.

In February, the ED arrested Chirag Shah and Chintan Shah in connection with the ongoing investigation into the illegal broadcasting and online betting activities of the Fairplay platform.

The investigation was initiated following an FIR filed on the complaint of a media company with the Nodal Cyber Police, Mumbai.

The FIR accused Fairplay and its affiliates of illegally broadcasting cricket and IPL matches, along with involvement in online betting activities.

The operations have caused a revenue loss of over Rs 100 crore. The case includes offences under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Copyright Act, 1957.

The ED’s probe revealed that Chirag Shah and Chintan Shah played key roles in operating the Fairplay platform by providing essential technical services and operational support through their companies, Wohlig Transformations Private Limited, India, and Wohlig Transformation FZE LLC, Dubai.

Last year, the ED conducted multiple search operations in June, August, September, and October, leading to the seizure and freezing of several movable assets, incriminating documents, and digital devices.

The ED swooped on multiple locations in Maharashtra in connection with betting during IPL matches and the Lok Sabha elections and seized assets worth over Rs 8 crore.

In the raids conducted at 19 locations in Mumbai and Pune, the ED targeted the betting website Fairplay, which was involved in online betting on the Lok Sabha election results and illegal broadcast of IPL matches.

Provisional Attachment Orders were issued by ED on November 22, 2024, December 26, 2024, and January 15, 2025.

--IANS

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