Actor Sonu Sood has appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case related to the online betting app 1xBet. Officials have said that the actor reached the agency’s central Delhi office around noon today and has been questioned under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
As per media reports, his statement has been recorded as part of the ongoing investigation.
The ED has been probing multiple celebrities, cricketers, and social media influencers over alleged links with 1xBet, which has been accused of duping users of crores of rupees and evading significant taxes. Former cricketers Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, and Robin Uthappa, as well as actors Mimi Chakraborty and Ankush Hazra, have also been questioned in recent weeks.
The agency has been examining endorsement deals and the flow of payments made to public figures by the company, including whether such transactions have been routed through hawala or legitimate banking channels. It has also asked celebrities to provide contracts, emails, and related documents with 1xBet.
As per reports, the ED has been investigating whether the money paid to celebrities can be categorised as ‘proceeds of crime’ under the PMLA. The probe has also been focusing on how the betting company reached out to endorsers, the intermediaries involved, and the purpose for which the proceeds have been used.
The agency may soon initiate the process of attaching assets of those found to have benefited from the alleged proceeds of crime, followed by a chargesheet before a court. More celebrities, influencers, and sportspersons are expected to be called in the coming days as part of the probe.
