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After Dubai wedding bash, Unnao influencer lands in ED’s dragnet
Enforcement Directorate ) has provisionally attached four luxury vehicles, including a Lamborghini and a Mercedes-Benz, belonging to social media influencer Anurag Dwivedi as part of a money laundering investigation into illegal online betting activities
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached four luxury vehicles, including a Lamborghini and a Mercedes-Benz, belonging to social media influencer Anurag Dwivedi as part of a money laundering investigation into illegal online betting activities.
The ED’s Kolkata unit acted under Section 7 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Wednesday, alleging that the vehicles were purchased using “proceeds of crime” generated through unauthorised gambling activities. The probe stems from FIRs registered by the West Bengalpolice and cybercrime units against operators and promoters of illegal betting platforms.
The seizure follows a 12-hour search operation conducted earlier this week by a 16-member ED team at multiple locations in Unnao district’s Khajur village, where Dwivedi originally belongs, and Nawabganj area. Investigators also raided premises linked to Dwivedi, including his uncle’s residence, seizing bank records, property documents, and digital devices, the ED said in a statement. The agency has not disclosed details of recoveries.
ED officials allege that Dwivedi, 25, utilised his platform to promote illegal betting applications. The agency suspects these platforms used influencers to attract users while routing funds through layered banking channels and shell entities to evade detection.
Dwivedi, who has 7 million YouTube subscribers and 2.4 million Instagram followers, markets himself as the “Face of Fantasy Cricket.” Officials stated his financial rise coincides with his entry into content creation regarding cricket predictions and fantasy gaming around 2017-18.
Dwivedi was not present during the recent searches and is believed to be in Dubai, according to the ED. The agency is currently scrutinising his foreign travel patterns, overseas transactions, and the ultimate utilization of funds linked to online gaming, it said.
“Dwivedi, 25, utilised his platform to promote illegal betting applications. The agency suspects these platforms used influencers to attract users while routing funds through layered banking channels and shell entities to evade detection,” said a senior ED official in press statement.
The influencer recently garnered regulatory attention following his wedding aboard a Dubai cruise in November, the ED said.
This is not Dwivedi’s first brush with law enforcement. In December 2025, an SUV registered to a company linked to him was implicated in an assault and intimidation case in Ajgain, a village in Unnao. Additionally, Dwivedi previously claimed to have received extortion threats from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, though he later deleted related social media posts.
The attached vehicles will remain in ED custody pending adjudication.
Dwivedi did not respond to HT’s queries for a comment.
