1xBet case: ED attaches Raina, Dhawan assets

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday provisionally attached assets worth Rs114 crore belonging to former Indian cricketers Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

- Ashish Singh

According to the ED, the attachment includes mutual fund investments of Rs6.64 crore in Raina’s name and an immovable property valued at Rs4.5 crore in Dhawan’s name.

The ED’s action is part of its ongoing probe into the illegal offshore betting platform 1xBet and its surrogate brands, including IxBat and lxBat Sporting Lines, which allegedly promoted and facilitated illegal online betting operations across India.

The officials said that Raina and Dhawan knowingly entered into endorsement agreements with foreign entities to promote 1xBet and its surrogate platforms. Payments for these endorsements were routed through foreign channels to conceal the illicit origin of funds, which are linked to the proceeds of crime generated from illegal betting activities.