ED summons Urvashi Rautela, Mimi Chakraborty in illegal betting app case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Bollywood actress Urvashi Rautela and former Trinamool Congress MP and actress Mimi Chakraborty for questioning in connection with its probe into the illegal online betting platform 1xBet.

According to officials, Chakraborty has been asked to appear at the ED headquarters in New Delhi on September 15, while Rautela has been directed to depose the following day.

“Their statements will be recorded under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act as the agency examine the role of celebrities and influencers in promoting the betting platform,” an official told The Tribune.

The summons come days after former cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina were also questioned in the case over promotional contracts and financial transactions linked to the app.

The ED’s investigation centres on allegations that 1xBet operated illegally in India, laundered funds, evaded taxes and manipulated its systems to defraud users. The agency is probing whether promotional campaigns by public figures helped the app expand its reach and attract new players, many of whom are believed to have lost large sums of money.

Officials said the probe is part of a larger crackdown on illegal betting and real-money gaming platforms that have mushroomed in recent years.

The Union Government recently enacted legislation banning such apps, citing their social and financial impact, particularly on young users.

ED sources indicated that more celebrities and influencers could be called in the coming weeks as the agency maps out the flow of money and the networks that sustained the app’s operations in India.