Armed with a blue file that held bank statements for five years, actor Rana Daggubati appeared before the Enforcement Directorate's Hyderabad office in connection with the alleged online betting games promotion case Monday.
The questioning at the Basheerbagh office lasted for nearly five hours. Soon after, the actor left the probe agency office, choosing not to make a statement or take any questions from the media. The actor, wearing dark glasses, said nothing as the car doors closed.
Earlier, the probe agency, which investigates financial crimes, had issued a notice to the actor to appear before it on July 23.
The 40-year-old actor, due to prior commitments of a shooting schedule at Tamil Nadu's Pollachi, had sought more time to appear before the Hyderabad Zonal ED office.
Earlier this year, the Telangana police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against 29 celebrities and influencers, including popular figures like Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Devarakonda, and Manchu Lakshmi for allegedly promoting illegal betting and gambling apps through their social media platforms.
The complaint, filed on March 19, alleges a disturbing trend of celebrities and influencers promoting illegal gambling apps that violate the Public Gambling Act of 1867.
Sources close to Rana Daggubati had told NDTV that a legal team had vetted the endorsement contract before he signed it. He also said Rana had only promoted skill-based games that the Supreme Court has said are legal, that too in regions where it is allowed, and his association had ended in 2017.
Actor Vijay Devarakonda who appeared last week before the ED also sought to make the distinction between legal gaming apps and illegal betting apps, pointing out that the Indian cricket team, women's cricket, volleyball, kabaddi are all promoted by gaming apps that are legal, have a licence to operate, even pay GST.
Complainant PM Phanindra Sarma, a 32-year-old businessman, had claimed that celebrities are allegedly accepting large sums of money to promote various betting platforms, which encourage users to gamble their hard-earned money.
The petition emphasised that these apps and platforms are causing widespread financial harm, particularly among lower and middle-class families who are being lured into the false promise of easy money.
The apps often rely on celebrities to build credibility, leading vulnerable individuals to invest substantial amounts of money, only to face financial ruin, claims the petitioner.
The central agency filed its Enforcement Case Information Record (ECIRs) based on the FIRs and is looking at violations of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, in terms of tax violation, etc in sponsorship and promotion deals, revenue earned through digital advertising etc.
Rana Daggubati is known for his roles in the movies like 'Baahubali' ', Baahubali 2', and 'Vettaiyan'.
