ED raids 19 places in Maha over illegal betting by Fairplay

New Delhi, June 13

The Enforcement Directorate has conducted searches at 19 locations in Mumbai and Pune as part of its ongoing probe related to Fairplay, which was involved in illegal broadcasting of cricket and IPL matches and various online betting activities, including on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections results.

During the search operations on Wednesday, movable assets like cash, bank funds, demat account holdings and luxury watches to the tune of Rs 8 crore and various incriminating documents and digital devices were seized.

The ED had initiated investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by nodal cyber police, Mumbai, on the complaint of Viacom18 Media Pvt Ltd under various sections of the IPC, Information Technology Act, 2000, and Copyright Act, 1957 against Fairplay Sport LLC and others for causing loss of revenue of more than Rs 100 crore.

The investigation revealed Fairplay made agreements through foreign-based entities in Dubai and Curacao with Indian agencies representing celebrities. It was found no due diligence was performed by Indian agencies regarding Fairplay before executing the agreements for its promotion.