Enforcement Directorate Raids 2 Casino Operators In Hyderabad
Enforcement Directorate Raids 2 casino operators in Hyderabad, actor-minister, exotic animals, and hawala business.
Enforcement Directorate raids properties of two casino organizers in Hyderabad to probe alleged hawala transactions.
Two people, Twitch Praveen and Madhav Reddy have claimed that their casino business is legal.
The unusually large amount paid to actors for casino advertising prompted the Enforcement Directorate to take a look at the ‘business’ and its operators.
According to Enforcement Directorate sources, there is a possibility of some large amount of financial transactions by the casino operators through hawala.
Hawala refers to the financial crime in which the transaction of money is done in cash and not through the formal banking system.
According to ED sources, the social media profile of one of the casino operators, Twitch Praveen, reveals his luxurious lifestyle.
From posing with exotic animals to partying with Bollywood stars, he uses influential connections to promote his casino business.
Enforcement Directorate Raids 2 casino operators: At least 8 properties of casino operators were raided.
The investigating agency raided at least 8 properties of casino operators.
Twitch Praveen and Madhav Reddy are accused of allegedly violating the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act or FEMA.
The duo allegedly placed casino bets on behalf of Indians at Hotel Mechi Crown in Nepal and helped transfer the bet amount.
An official said on the condition of anonymity, “For possible security reasons, big-stakes gambling was organized for Indians in the neighboring country.
Twitch Praveen reportedly charged people between ₹5 to ₹10 lakh for the so-called four-day package. Most of the customers were from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The Enforcement Directorate came to know about this alleged money laundering case between June 10 and 13.
3 ministers and 15 MLAs of Telangana are also under investigation.
Investigators focused on the names of 3 ministers, 15 MLAs, and 250 other customers, some of whom were gold dealers, during WhatsApp group chats and analysis of Twitch Praveen’s laptop.
Former Andhra Pradesh minister Balineni Srinivas Reddy has said that he goes to casinos and even admitted to gambling and playing cards.
But he denied any connection with Twitch Praveen or his alleged hawala deal.
Telangana Labor Minister Malla Reddy, who runs several engineering and medical colleges, has said that he does not know how the MLA sticker allotted to him appeared on the car of casino operator Madhav Reddy.
He has categorically denied any connection with Madhav and Praveen.
The casino organizers allegedly took their VIP customers to Goa, Nepal, and Indonesia and charged them between ₹5 lakh and ₹15 lakh.
ED eye on many actors who advertise casinos.
Investigators have said that the names of actors who advertised Praveen’s casino are recorded on his mobile phone. Praveen has also shared his pictures with politicians and actors.
The Forest Department, too, raided Twitch Praveen’s farmhouse in Kadthal, Telangana, to check whether he had captured any endangered or protected animals.
Because he has posted many pictures of rare wildlife on hIS Instagram profile. Forest department officials said they found dozens of exotic animals in his farmhouse.
The investigating agency called Twitch Praveen and his associate Madhav Reddy for questioning on Monday.
