5 months ago
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The Enforcement Directorate has arrested online wealth gaming level WinZO founders – Saumya Singh Rathore and Paavan Nanda – connected wealth laundering charges, officials said connected Thursday (November 27, 2025).
They were arrested successful Bengaluru connected Wednesday pursuing their questioning astatine the zonal bureau of the national probe agency, they said.
The 2 were produced earlier a section tribunal successful Bengaluru the aforesaid night, and were sent to one-day custody by the court. They are expected to beryllium produced again earlier the tribunal for a elaborate order, arsenic per officials.
On Monday, the ED, successful a statement, alleged that funds to the tune of ₹43 crore of gamers were "held" by the institution and that this wealth should ideally person been refunded to players aft India banned real-money gaming.
The ED had raided the premises of WinZO and Gamezkraft, different institution offering online gaming, and their promoters past week nether the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED had accused WinZO of "engaging successful transgression activities and unscrupulous practices arsenic customers were made to play with algorithms without being made alert of the information that they are playing with the bundle and not with humans successful real-money games." It said WinZO was operating real-money games (RMGs) successful countries specified arsenic Brazil, the U.S., and Germany, from India (on the aforesaid level utilized by the Indian entity).
"Even aft the prohibition of RMGs by the Union authorities (w.e.f. 22/08/2025), an magnitude of ₹43 crore is inactive held by the institution without refunding to the gamers/customers," the ED alleged.
It said bonds, fixed deposits, and communal funds worthy ₹505 crore "possessed" by WinZO Games, were frozen nether the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Reacting to these charges, a spokesperson for WinZO, successful a statement, said, "Fairness and transparency are halfway to however WinZO designs and operates its platform." "Our absorption remains connected protecting our users and ensuring a secure, trustworthy experience," WinZO said, adding that it remains afloat compliant with each applicable laws.
WinZO, the ED said, besides prevented oregon constricted withdrawals of wealth held by the customers successful the wallets and generated alleged illicit funds successful the signifier of stake amounts placed and mislaid by existent customers done the "unscrupulous" usage of algorithms/software.
The bureau claimed to person recovered that WinZO's planetary operations were undertaken done a azygous app, meaning they were hosted connected the India-based platform.
"It was besides recovered that the funds by the Indian entity person been diverted to the U.S. and Singapore nether the garb of overseas investments.
"Funds worthy $55 cardinal (about ₹489.90 crore) person been parked successful their (WinZO) slope relationship successful the U.S., which is simply a ammunition institution since each the operations and day-to-day concern activities and cognition of slope accounts were done from India," the ED charged. The bureau made akin allegations against Gamezkraft.
