ED questions Yuvraj Singh for over 7 hours in betting app case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday questioned former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh for more than seven hours in a money-laundering case linked to an online betting app named 1xBet, officials said.

Singh (43), wearing a white T-shirt and pant, accompanied by his legal team, reached the agency's office in central Delhi around noon. He left just before 8 pm.

The investigating officer of the case questioned the all-rounder and left-hand batter and recorded his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the officials said.

A social media influencer named Anveshi Jain was also questioned in the same case during the day.

The federal probe agency has questioned former cricketers Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan and Robin Uthappa apart from former TMC MP and actor Mimi Chakraborty and Bengali actor Ankush Hazra over the last few weeks as part of this investigation.

Actor Sonu Sood has been summoned for Wednesday by the ED as part of the same investigation.

The probe into the operations of the 1xBet betting app is part of the ED's wider probe against such platforms on allegations of duping numerous people of crores of rupees and reportedly evading a huge amount of direct and indirect taxes.

According to Curacao-registered 1xBet, it is a globally recognised bookmaker with 18 years in the betting industry. The brand's customers can place bets on thousands of sporting events, with the company's website and app available in 70 languages, as per the information available on its website.

Some more sportspersons, movie actors, online influencers and celebrities are expected to be questioned by the agency in the coming days as part of this probe.

The ED may also soon initiate the process to attach assets of individuals in this case who are found using the alleged proceeds of crime generated from the promotional activities of the app. A chargesheet will be filed subsequently before a court, as per sources.

The agency's line of investigation, according to sources, is to know from the celebrities as to how they were contacted by the said betting company seeking their endorsement, the nodal person(s) for contact in India, the mode of payment (cash through hawala or banking channel) and place of the payment (in India or abroad), etc.

The agency, while recording the statements of the cricketers and actors, is understood to be asking them if they knew that online betting and gaming was illegal in India. It has also asked them to furnish a copy of their contracts and all relevant email and paper documentation made by them with 1xBet.

The agency is also looking at the end use of the money taken by the celebrities to check if any of them can be categorised as the "proceeds of crime" under the PMLA, according to sources.

The Union government recently banned real money online gaming in India by bringing in a legislation.