ED raids 21 locations in Pune, Mumbai, and Delhi in connection with Pakistan nationals’ betting app under PMLA.
ED raids 21 locations in Pune, Mumbai, and Delhi in connection with Pakistan nationals' betting app under PMLA.
The app was involved in illegal betting and unlawful streaming of T20 Cricket World Cup matches.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at 21 locations across Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with an illegal betting website allegedly owned by Pakistani nationals. The website was also found to be broadcasting Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup matches without authorization.
ED, Ahmedabad has conducted search operations on 10.12.2024 and 12.12.2024, under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 at 21 locations in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune as part of the ongoing probe in the case of “Magicwin” which was involved in illegal broadcasting of cricket Mens T20 World Cup…
— ED (@dir_ed) December 17, 2024
The ED, in an official post on X, confirmed that the searches were carried out by its Ahmedabad unit between December 10 and 12 as part of an investigation into the platform named Magicwin. The raids resulted in the freezing of bank funds amounting to ₹30 lakh and the seizure of various incriminating digital devices and documents.
According to officials, Magicwin operates under the guise of a gaming platform but is primarily a betting website managed by Indian nationals based in Dubai. Betting games shown on the platform are originally hosted in countries like the Philippines, where gambling is legal, but the website illegally re-broadcasts these games by copying APIs (Application Programming Interfaces).
The agency revealed that the profits generated exceed 50% of the total deposits made by players. A launch party for the website, attended and endorsed by several Bollywood celebrities, is now under investigation. Officials noted that these celebrities promoted Magicwin via photoshoots, social media posts, and advertisements, including hoardings across Gujarat and Maharashtra.
So far, the ED has conducted 68 searches in the case, seizing funds and assets worth ₹3.55 crore. Investigations have also exposed a sophisticated money-laundering network where player deposits were funneled through multiple shell and mule bank accounts. Profits were either invested in cryptocurrencies, withdrawn as cash, or transferred to Dubai through hawala channels.
The ED further highlighted that winning amounts were transferred to players’ accounts using shell companies’ merchant accounts via payment gateways or Domestic Money Transfers (DMT). The agency continues to probe deeper into the network and financial transactions related to the app’s operations.
