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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday arrested three founders of Gamezkraft Technologies Ltd on charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Deepak Singh and Prithvi Raj Singh were arrested from the National Capital Region (NCR), while Vikash Taneja was arrested from Bengaluru. The ED thereafter obtained transit remand of Deepak and Prithvi for producing them before the Bengaluru jurisdictional court, while Taneja was produced before the jurisdictional court. The three accused were arrested following the ED's May 7 searches carried out at 17 locations spread over Karnataka and the NCR region related to Gamezkraft group companies and their founders and employees. Officials said the raiding team has seized various incriminating documents during the search. On the basis of material in possession, they said, it was found that the founders of the Gamezkraft group are guilty of the offence of money laundering. A PMLA case has been recorded against Gamezkraft Technologies Ltd and other associated entities on the basis of multiple FIRs related to cheating and fraud registered against the company and its founders, who were owning and running various online real money games like 'RummyCulture', rummytime app, etc. There are multiple FIRs against the company related to the suicide committed by the victims. Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, that was passed by Parliament. The Bill was brought in to encourage e-sports and online social games while prohibiting harmful online money gaming services, advertisements, and financial transactions related to them. The Bill seeks to completely ban offering, operating, or facilitating online money games, irrespective of whether based on skill, chance, or both. The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha and in the Rajya Sabha a day after. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill aims to promote e-sports and online social games, while outlawing online money gaming. There will be no punishment for those playing online money games; it is only the service providers, advertisers, promoters, and those who financially support such games who will face the consequences, said sources earlier. According to the sources, the Central government may authorise officers to investigate, search, and seize digital or physical property linked to offences. Officers would be empowered to enter, search, and arrest without a warrant in some instances of suspected offences. (ANI)
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