The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recorded statements from former Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha member and Bengali actress Mimi Chakraborty as part of its investigation into an alleged illegal betting app, 1xBet. This probe falls under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Chakraborty served as a Member of Parliament for the Jadavpur constituency in West Bengal from 2019 to 2024. She appeared before ED investigators at the agency’s headquarters after receiving a summons. She was questioned for over four hours to clarify her involvement with the betting app, especially regarding certain endorsements and financial transactions.
This questioning is part of a wider investigation by the ED into the money trail linked to online betting. Large sums are suspected of being laundered and sent abroad. The agency believes that individuals like Chakraborty may have ties to these illegal financial activities.
Other notable figures have also been summoned by the ED in similar cases. On Sunday, the ED issued summons to Chakraborty and actress Urvashi Rautela, with Rautela scheduled to appear on Tuesday. Before this, cricketers Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan were also questioned by the agency about their connections to online betting platforms.
The Central government recently enacted a law to ban real-money online gaming. This move responds to concerns over the spread of such apps. It is estimated that India has about 22 crore users of various online betting apps, with around 11 crore of them being regular users. The ED’s investigation underscores the government’s crackdown on these platforms and the celebrities who promote them.
