On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sent summons to many celebrities including Rana Daggubati, Vijay Deverakonda, Prakash Raj and Lakshmi Manchu on charges of promoting illegal online betting apps. According to sources, all these stars promoted such apps on social media, which have been declared illegal in the country. ED's investigation has revealed that transactions worth thousands of crores have taken place through these apps and several stars were given huge amounts from these promotions. At present, summons have been sent to everyone and ED is preparing for questioning.
Date of summons to film stars
- Rana Daggubati - July 23
- Prakash Raj - July 30
- Vijay Deverakonda - August 6
- Lakshmi Manchu - August 13
The case began with a complaint from Phanindra Sharma, a businessman from Miyapur. He alleged that many big film faces and social media stars are pulling people towards these betting apps. He said that middle-class and lower-middle-class families are suffering a lot due to such apps. The controversy gained attention in March. After this complaint, Cyberabad Police registered an FIR against 25 celebrities on March 19, 2025. ED registered ECIR (FIR) in this case under PMLA.
A similar case had come to light earlier as well
Last year, the Mahadev betting app controversy came to light, and several names from Bollywood, Tollywood, and the television industry were linked. An action was taken in that case. Now, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also taking action in this matter. The scale of the scam will become clear after questioning and investigation.
On the work front
Talking about the work front, Vijay Deverakonda will be next seen in the 'Kingdom'. On the other hand, Rana Daggubati was last seen in the second season of the action crime drama series 'Rana Naidu' alongside Venkatesh Daggubati and Surveen Chawla in the lead roles. The web series is available to stream on OTT giant Netflix. He will be next seen in Mallidi Vasishta's 'Vishwambara'.
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