IPL betting racket case: ED conducts overnight searches in Assam, Delhi; cash, luxury cars seized

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday said it conducted overnight searches at multiple locations in Assam and Delhi as part of a money laundering investigation linked to an illegal IPL cricket betting racket.

The searches were carried out late on May 26 and continued overnight at premises in Guwahati and Tinsukia in Assam, and in New Delhi under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the federal agency said in a statement.

The probe stems from an FIR registered by the Crime Branch Police Station in Guwahati against Deepesh Bajoria, Ronak Bajoria, Rajesh Jain and others under various sections of the IPC and the Assam Game and Betting Act, 1970.

The ED said it later expanded the investigation by incorporating two additional FIRs registered at Tinsukia Police Station against other accused linked to similar IPL betting operations allegedly run by an ''interlinked syndicate''.

According to the agency, the accused were operating a ''well-organised, hierarchical and technologically enabled'' illegal betting racket on IPL cricket matches.

''Bets were solicited, accepted and settled through mobile phones using encrypted messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Instagram, and through offshore online betting platforms,'' the ED said.

The proceeds generated from the betting activities were allegedly received through cash and digital channels, including UPI and bank transfers, and later layered and projected as untainted assets through a network of family members and associates spread across Guwahati, Tinsukia and Delhi, it alleged.

Searches were conducted at the residences of the accused, besides a commercial establishment operating under the name ''Roycee'', previously known as ''Playboy'', in Guwahati.

The ED said it seized several digital devices, including mobile phones and electronic storage media, allegedly containing records of betting transactions, coded communications with punters and sub-agents, and digital trails linked to the movement of proceeds of crime.

Unaccounted cash worth Rs 13 lakh was also seized during the searches, the agency said.

Three vehicles -- a Mercedes-Benz, an MG Hector and a Toyota Fortuner -- suspected to have been purchased using proceeds of crime were also seized, it added.

The ED further said several bank accounts allegedly used for illegal betting operations and routing of proceeds of crime have been frozen to prevent further dissipation of funds.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)