NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Monday said it carried out fresh searches at several premises linked to social media influencer Anurag Dwivedi from Uttar Pradesh in a money laundering case linked to “illegal” online betting. Dwivedi describes himself as the ‘Face of Fantasy Cricket’ on his Instagram profile.In a statement, the federal agency said it searched nine locations in Delhi, Mumbai, Surat, Lucknow and Varanasi on December 31 and January 1. During the searches, officials seized a Land Rover Defender and a BMW Z4 belonging to Dwivedi.The ED said it had conducted the first round of searches in the case in the third week of December. At that time, it seized four vehicles — a Lamborghini Urus, Mercedes, Ford Endeavour and Thar — along with Rs 20 lakh in cash.According to the agency, Dwivedi is currently living in Dubai and has “failed” to appear before it despite multiple summons being issued.The case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act is based on an FIR filed by the West Bengal Police for cheating, forgery and illegal betting. The ED alleged that Dwivedi promoted illegal betting platforms operated from Siliguri in West Bengal and received “proceeds of crime” through hawala channels and mule accounts. It also alleged that he bought immovable properties in Dubai using such proceeds.The agency said material seized during the searches showed real estate investments in Dubai through hawala channels. It also seized fixed deposits, insurance policies and bank deposits worth Rs 3 crore.Three people have been arrested in the case so far, and a chargesheet was filed before a special PMLA court in Kolkata in August 2025. The ED said it had earlier frozen or attached assets worth Rs 27 crore.
