A provisional order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach a commercial land in Delhi of Dhawan (39) worth Rs 4.5 crore and a mutual fund of Raina (38) worth Rs 6.64 crore in the case against online betting site 1xBet, the federal agency said.
The ED's probe has found that the former cricketers "knowingly" entered into endorsement agreements with foreign entities for the promotion of 1xBet and its surrogates.
"These endorsements were made in return for payments routed through foreign entities to conceal the illicit origin of the funds, which are linked to proceeds of crime generated from illegal betting activities," the agency alleged in a statement.
The ED, sources told PTI, considers the two assets as "proceeds of crime" of illegal betting. This ED order can be appealed against before the Adjudicating Authority of the PMLA and other legal forums.
There were no immediate comments from the two former cricketers.
Dhawan announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in August, while Raina hung his boots in 2020.
The ED also said it has detected 6,000 mule bank accounts (used to transact illicit money), searched four payment gateways that were used to route betting funds and identified 60 bank accounts linked to these platforms that hold deposits of more than Rs 4 crore.
Multiple police FIRs formed the basis for the federal agency to launch the probe against 1xBet and its surrogate brand, 1xBat.
1xBat sporting lines were engaged in promoting and facilitating illegal online betting and gambling operations across India, the agency has alleged.
Registered in Curacao, 1xBet is stated by the portal to be a globally-recognised bookmaker with 18 years of experience in the betting industry.
