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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said it has seized two high-end cars -- a Land Rover Defender and a BMW Z4 -- belonging to social media influencer and Youtuber Anurag Dwivedi during search operations conducted last week in Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh in connection with an illegal online betting and gambling case.
The raids were conducted on December 31, 2025, and January 1, 2026, at nine locations in Delhi, Mumbai, Surat, Lucknow, and Varanasi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. "These premises are linked to Social Media Influencer and YouTuber Anurag Dwivedi, and various online gaming and betting applications suspected to be involved in the generation and laundering of Proceeds of Crime (POC)," said the ED in a statement. In addition to the two high-end cars, ED said, several incriminating documents and digital devices have been seized. Earlier, on December 17, 2025, the ED conducted searches at 10 premises in Lucknow, Unnao, and Delhi linked to Anurag Dwivedi. During the searches, four high-end vehicles, Lamborghini Urus, Mercedes, Ford Endeavour and Thar, along with incriminating documents, digital devices and cash of approximately Rs 20 lakh were seized. "The seized material revealed real estate investments in Dubai through hawala channels, and movable assets worth approximately Rs 3 crore in the form of insurance policies, fixed deposits and bank balances were frozen under Section 17(1A) of PMLA, 2002," it said. ED initiated an investigation based on a First Information Report registered by the West Bengal Police in connection with illegal online betting operations. "It was revealed that an online betting panel was being operated from Siliguri by accused persons Sonu Kumar Thakur and Vishal Bhardwaj using mule bank accounts and digital platforms." ED investigation further established that "Anurag Dwivedi actively promoted illegal betting platforms, received POC through hawala channels and mule accounts, and acquired immovable properties in Dubai out of such proceeds." "It was also found that Anurag Dwivedi has left India and is presently residing in Dubai and has failed to appear before the ED despite issuance of multiple summons," said the ED. Earlier in the same case, the ED had arrested three persons and filed a Prosecution Complaint before a special PMLA court in Kolkata on August 1, 2025. The ED had also frozen and attached movable assets worth Rs 27 crore in the instant case. (ANI)
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