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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) produced Chintan Shah and Chirag Shah before the ED court, after the two were arrested in the 'FairPlay' illegal betting and cricket broadcast case.
The ED had arrested Chintan Shah and Chirag Shah in Mumbai on February 12 as part of the ongoing probe in the case of 'Fairplay' which was involved in illegal broadcasting of cricket or IPL matches and various online betting activities. As per top officials, privy to the development, both the arrested accused were handling "technical aspects including operations of Fairplay app." Earlier, ED has conducted multiple search operations in this case resulting in seizure and freezing of various movable assets along with various other incriminating documents and digital devices. The federal agency has also issued multiple attachment orders in this case. Total attachment and seizure in this case till date amounts to around Rs 345 crores. In November last year, the ED had attached assets worth Rs 4.62 crore in its ongoing probe in the case. The properties were then attachment under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The attached assets then include holdings in Demat accounts, mutual fund investments, and a luxury Audi Q8 vehicle. The probe stems from a First Information Report (FIR) filed by Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd with the Nodal Cyber Police in Mumbai. The complaint accused Fairplay Sport LLC and others of illegal activities that caused revenue losses exceeding Rs 100 crore, constituting proceeds of crime. The ED's investigation identified Krish Laxmichand Shah as the mastermind behind Fairplay. Krish is said to operate the betting app primarily from Dubai, with support from associates Chirag and Chintan, who handle technological and software aspects. Krish has reportedly registered multiple companies, including Play Ventures NV and Dutch Antilles Management NV in Curacao, Fairplay Sport LLC and Fairplay Management DMCC in Dubai, and Play Ventures Holding Limited in Malta, to facilitate Fairplay's operations. ED investigators have found that Krish and his associates used proceeds from illegal activities to acquire various assets, often registered under their names or those of relatives. The ED has previously conducted searches in this case on multiple dates on June 12, August 27, September 27, and October 25, 2024. These searches led to the seizure and freezing of various movable assets and digital evidence. (ANI)
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