'Illegal' IPL streaming case: ED conducts searches at Fairplay app offices, seizes assets worth Rs 8 cr
ED conducted raid after an FIR was registered by Nodal Cyber Police, Mumbai.
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently carried out searches at 19 locations in Mumbai and Pune as part of the ongoing probe against the "Fairplay" app - a subsidiary of the Mahadev Betting app, according to media reports. The app is allegedly involved in illegal broadcasting of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and other betting activities, including the Lok Sabha election result in 2024.
The Mumbai unit of the ED has confiscated cash, bank funds, Demat account holdings, and luxury watches, worth Rs 8 crore.
The anti-money laundering agency conducted the raid on Wednesday after an FIR was registered by Nodal Cyber Police, Mumbai on the complaint of Viacom18 Media Private Limited under various sections of IPC against Fairplay Sport LLC and others for causing loss of revenue of more than Rs 100 crore.
"During the search operations, various incriminating documents, digital devices, cash, bank funds, Demat account holdings, and luxury watches to the tune of Rs 8 crore were seized/frozen," an ED official said, as per reports.
The complaint alleged that Faiplay illegally streamed IPL matches, and several celebrity-endorsed and promoted the betting app. Viacom18, in its complaint, also mentioned that Fairplay also showed their other content without acquiring legal rights, causing a loss to the company of over Rs 100 crore.
According to ED, the Fairplay app made agreements through foreign-based entities in Dubai and Curacao with Indian agencies, representing celebrities.
Further, ED said that the Fairplay app reportedly collected funds through shell bank accounts and then accumulated them in pharma companies involved in bogus billing. Those funds were then diverted to overseas shell entities located in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China, and Dubai.
"More than 400 bank accounts of shell entities were found to have been used for these purposes, which are under examination, along with the trail of and utilisation of funds gathered from the lay public by Fairplay," ED said.
