An official on Monday said an official that as part of the investigation of illegal betting on Mumbai, September 22 (IANS) Fairplay platform, the ED attacked Dubai-based assets and movable assets with Rs 307.16 crore.
The latest action by the Enforcement Directorate, Mumbai Zonal Office on Friday took the total value of attachment and seizure in the case to Rs 651.31 crater.
The assets seized under the latest action include bank balance and flats located in Land/Villa, Dubai (UAE). A statement said in a statement that action was taken under the PMLA, 2002, as part of the ongoing investigation in the Fairplay platform website case.
In February, the ED arrested Chirag Shah and Chintan Shah in connection with the illegal broadcast of the Fairplay platform and the ongoing investigation into online betting activities.
The investigation was initiated after an FIR filed on the complaint of a media company with Nodal Cyber Police, Mumbai.
The FIR accused the fairplay and its colleagues invalidly to broadcast cricket and IPL matches with participation in online betting activities.
Operations have damaged revenue of more than Rs 100 crore. The case includes offenses under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Information Technology Act, 2000 and Copyright Act, 1957.
The ED investigation revealed that Chirag Shah and Chintan Shah played an important role in operating the fairplay platforms by providing necessary technical services and operational assistance through their companies, Vuling Transformation Private Limited, India and Vouling Transformation Phase LLC, Dubai.
Last year, ED conducted several search operations in June, August, September and October, leading to seizure of several movable assets and freezing, documents and digital devices.
The ED swooped at several places in Maharashtra in connection with IPL matches and betting during the Lok Sabha elections and seized assets worth more than Rs 8 crore.
In a raid at 19 places 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 broadcasting of IPL matches.
Provisional attachment orders were issued by Ed on 22 November, 2024, 26 December, 2024 and 15 January 2025.
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RCH/UK