Prakash Raj questioned by ED over illegal betting app promotion
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Hyderabad: Actor Prakash Raj appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday in connection with a probe into the alleged promotion of illegal betting apps.
He arrived at the ED’s regional office in Basheerbagh around 10 a.m.
Cyberabad Police had booked Prakash Raj and several other actors in March. The actor had later said he did not renew his contract to promote the app after 2017, having realized it was inappropriate.
The ED has recently summoned actors Rana Daggubati, Vijay Deverakonda and Manchu Lakshmi in the same case. Daggubati was asked to appear on 23 July but sought a new date, while Deverakonda and Lakshmi have been directed to appear on 6 August and 13 August respectively.
On 10 July, the ED booked 29 actors, influencers and YouTubers for allegedly endorsing illegal betting apps, in violation of the Public Gambling Act, 1867. The case is being investigated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and is based on five FIRs filed in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Those named include film actors Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, Nidhi Agarwal, Pranitha Subhash, Manchu Lakshmi and Ananya Nagella, as well as TV personalities and social media influencers such as Sreemukhi, Shyamala, Varshini Sounderajan, Vasanthi Krishnan, Shoba Shetty, Amrutha Chowdary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padhmavathi, Harsha Sai and Bayya Sunny Yadav.
The ED suspects that endorsements for platforms like Junglee Rummy, A23, JeetWin, Parimatch and Lotus365 were used to launder large sums of money through paid promotions.
Several actors earlier booked by Hyderabad and Cyberabad Police have denied wrongdoing, saying they ended their contracts over ethical concerns.
