Cricketers Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa summoned by ED in money-laundering case

Earlier, Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan were questioned by the financial crimes probe agency on August 13 and September 4, respectively in this case.

Updated on: Sep 16, 2025, 14:57:24 IST

By Neeraj Chauhan

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After questioning Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has now issued summons to two more former India cricketers, Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, in connection with its money laundering probe against several illegal online betting platforms, which use multiple platforms for surrogate advertisements and collect funds from the use, officials said on Tuesday.

Former India cricketers Robin Uthappa and Yuvraj Singh.

While Uthappa, the right-handed batter, has been asked to appear at ED headquarters on September 22 and record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Yuvraj has been asked to be present before the probe agency on September 23.

Earlier, Raina and Dhawan were questioned by the financial crimes probe agency on August 13 and September 4, respectively in this case.

Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament (MP) Mimi Chakraborty was questioned on Monday while Bengali actor Ankush Hazra was being questioned on Tuesday by the ED sleuths. Bollywood Actress Urvashi Rautela was also expected to appear before the agency on Tuesday but she had not come to record her statement till filing of this report, officials said.

Also read: ED summons Mimi Chakraborty, Urvashi Rautela in betting app case

The ED has been calling several celebrities to understand their links with the betting apps, any endorsement fee earned and the mode of communication between them.

In July, the agency had called the representatives of Google and Meta for questioning as part of this probe.

The financial crimes probe agency is probing multiple illegal online betting platforms and has questioned tech firms, media houses’ representatives who have received money in the form of advertisements from them. Earlier Google and Meta representatives were also called to the ED office in this probe.

Several platforms hosting illegal betting and gambling links, including instances of advertisements placed for them on various social media outlets and app stores, are under the ED scanner.

In 2023, the Union ministry of information and broadcasting issued four advisories to newspapers, broadcast news channels, entertainment channels, publishers of online news and current affairs content, online advertisement intermediaries (like Google and Facebook), and social media platforms to not advertise online betting platforms.

Despite these instructions from the Centre that advertisements of online betting platforms are not permitted, eminent personalities in the field of entertainment and sports endorsed them. These actors and sportspersons are also under the ED’s scanner and they could be summoned soon, according to an ED officer.

According to the information gathered by ED over the past several months, multiple betting platforms, which have been banned over the years, still run their operations by changing names and are promoted by celebrities and social media influencers.

These platforms are in violation of multiple laws and directions by the Indian government, including tax evasion, money laundering, and Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) as money is transferred out of the country illegally. It is estimated that around 220 million Indian users are currently engaged on various betting apps, and 110 million of these are regular users, said the officer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Chauhan
Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.Read More

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