ED summons Meta, Google officials in illegal betting case
New Delhi(PTI): The Enforcement Directorate has summoned representatives of tech giants Meta and Google as part of a money laundering investigation against a number of illegal online betting platforms, official sources said Saturday.
The executives have been asked to depose before the agency on July 21 here and get their statements recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.
There was no immediate response from the two companies.
The federal agency is probing multiple platforms hosting illegal betting and gambling links, including instances of advertisements placed for them on various Internet-based social media outlets and app stores.
The tech giants are understood to have been called by the ED to understand how such illegal platforms are able to place advertisements on their social media and communication links.
Some actors, celebrities and sports persons are also under the scanner of the agency in these cases, and they are also expected to be summoned by the ED soon.
The ED has said illegal online betting and gambling platforms were cheating innocent people of their hard-earned money and also laundering and evading taxes worth crores of rupees.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
West Bengal exit polls: People’s Pulse projects TMC lead, others predict BJP surge
Kolkata: Exit polls for the West Bengal Assembly Election 2026 have shown different projections, with some surveys indicating a lead for the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), while others suggest an advantage for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
According to People’s Pulse, the TMC+ alliance is projected to win between 177 and 187 seats in the 294-member Assembly.
The BJP is estimated to secure between 95 and 110 seats, while the Left Front+ is predicted to win up to one seat. The Congress (INC) is likely to get between one and three seats, and others are projected to win between one and two seats.
Matrize projections indicate a different trend, with the BJP projected to win between 146 and 161 seats, crossing the majority mark of 148, with a vote share of 42.5 per cent. The TMC is estimated to win between 125 and 140 seats with a vote share of 40.8 per cent.
P-MARQ has also projected a BJP lead, estimating the party to win between 150 and 175 seats, while the TMC+ alliance is expected to secure between 118 and 138 seats. The same survey projects Congress to win between 2 and 6 seats.
Poll Diary estimates suggest the BJP may win between 142 and 171 seats, while the TMC could secure between 99 and 127 seats. Other parties are projected to win between 5 and 9 seats.
Chanakya Strategies has projected the BJP to win between 150 and 160 seats, while the TMC is estimated to get between 130 and 140 seats. Others are expected to secure between 6 and 10 seats, while Congress and Left are projected at zero.
ABP projections estimate the BJP to win between 146 and 161 seats, while the TMC is expected to secure between 125 and 140 seats. Others are projected to win between 6 and 10 seats.
Polls in the state were held in two phases on April 23 and 29, and the counting of votes is scheduled to take place on May 4.
