Actor Vijay Devarakonda appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday (August 6) as a part of its ongoing probe into the alleged promotion of unauthorised on-line betting platforms. He arrived on the ED workplace in Basheerbagh, Hyderabad.
Mr. Deverakonda is among the 29 people summoned by the company below the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Sources in the ED said that his statements could be verified in opposition to accessible materials and submissions from others who had been beforehand examined in the case.
The case pertains to promotional content material allegedly masking unregulated playing apps as leisure or charity-related initiatives. The ED believes that some celebrities and influencers had been roped in for paid campaigns that not directly endorsed betting operations, bypassing regulatory norms.
Actor Prakash Raj was the primary to seem before the ED, on July 30. Speaking to the media after his questioning, Mr. Prakash Raj claimed the matter dated again to 2016 and maintained he had not accepted any cash. “Officers are doing their job, and as a citizen, I’m supposed to cooperate,” he stated, including that there was no political angle to the summons.
While some summoned celebrities have cooperated, others have sought time. Actor Rana Daggubati, initially scheduled to seem on July 23, has requested for a reschedule. Manchu Lakshmi has been directed to seem on August 13.
The investigation is predicated on a number of FIRs filed throughout Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and covers a spread of people, together with actors, YouTubers, and social media personalities. The ED is now making an attempt to find out whether or not the promotions had been remoted or a part of a wider, coordinated operation.
