Actor Vijay Deverakonda appears before ED in betting apps case

Hyderabad, Aug 6 (IANS) Tollywood actor Vijay Deverakonda on Wednesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in the case relating to alleged promotion of illegal betting apps.

The actor arrived at the central agency's regional office at Basheerbagh here around 11 a.m.

He is likely to be questioned about his contracts with betting apps for their promotion and the payments received from them.

Vijay Deverakonda is the second actor to appear before the ED in the case.

The central agency questioned Prakash Raj on July 30 for five hours. Prakash Raj had told the officials that he did not taken any payment for an endorsement he had done for an advertisement in the past.

The officials took details about the advertisement he had done for a betting app in 2016. Prakash Raj said he told the ED officials that he did not take any payment, as his conscience did not allow him to take it

Prakash Raj reiterated that he did only one advertisement for a gaming app, but later realised that he should not have done it.

The ED recently summoned actors Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda, and Manchu Lakshmi in the case.

Rana Daggubati was directed to appear on July 23, but he sought an alternate date. The agency has issued him a fresh notice, directing him to appear on August 11.

Manchu Lakshmi has been directed to appear on August 13.

The four actors were among 29 celebrities booked by the ED on July 10 for allegedly endorsing illegal betting apps.

The agency filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against 29 actors, influencers, and YouTubers for allegedly promoting illegal betting platforms, in violation of the Public Gambling Act, 1867.

The probe, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, is based on five FIRs filed in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Actors Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Nidhi Agarwal, Pranitha Subhash and Manchu Lakshmi, and Ananya Nagella are among those who have been booked by the ED, which suspects money laundering in the transactions.

The names of TV actors, TV hosts and social media influencers like Sreemukhi, Shyamala, Varshini Sounderajan, Vasanthi Krishnan, Shoba Shetty, Amrutha Chowdary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padhmavathi, Harsha Sai and Bayya Sunny Yadav also figure in the list.

Most of these celebrities were earlier booked by the Hyderabad and Cyberabad Police. FIRs were registered against them at Panjagutta, Miyapur, Cyberabad, Suryapet, and Visakhapatnam police stations.

In March this year, Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj and others were booked by Cyberabad police for allegedly promoting betting apps.

Rana Daggubati and Vijay Devarakonda stated that they endorsed only legally permitted online skill-based games,

--IANS

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