ED freezes deposits worth Rs 523 crore in probe against online gaming platforms WinZo, Gameskraft
New Delhi (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said it has frozen collective deposits worth about Rs 523 crore of online gaming companies WinZO and Gameskraft, as the platforms allegedly "held" funds worth crores of rupees that should ideally have been refunded to players after India banned real-money gaming recently.
The federal probe agency conducted multiple searches between November 18 and 22 in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Gurugram as part of a money laundering investigation against their parent companies, Nirdesa Networks Pvt. Ltd. (NNPL), Gameskraft Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (GTPL) and WinZO Games Pvt. Ltd, and their promoters.
These platforms offered online real-money gaming services to players.
The ED accused WinZO of "engaging in criminal activities and unscrupulous practices as customers were made to play with algorithms without being made aware of the fact that they are playing with the software and not with humans in real-money games".
WinZO, the agency said in a statement, was operating real-money games (RMGs) in countries such as Brazil, the US and Germany etc., from India (on the same platform used by the Indian entity).
"Even after the ban of RMGs by the Union government (w.e.f. 22/08/2025), an amount of Rs 43 crore is still held by the company without refunding to the gamers/customers," the ED said.
The alleged proceeds of crime worth about Rs 505 crore "possessed" by WinZO Games were frozen under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). These deposits are kept in bank accounts in the form of bonds, fixed deposits and mutual funds, the ED said.
Making a similar charge against Gameskraft, that offered online money gaming services under the name Pocket52.com, the ED said that even after the government ban (through the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025) an amount of more than Rs 30 crore was "still held" by the company in its escrow accounts without refunding to gamers/customers.
The agency said it has frozen eight bank accounts (escrow accounts for payout maintained with various banks) holding deposits worth Rs 18.57 crore in the probe against Gameskraft. It alleged that these proceeds of crime were parked by the accused entities including NNPL and Pocket52, etc.
WinZO, the ED said, also prevented or limited withdrawals of money held by the customers in the wallets and generated alleged illicit funds in the form of bet amounts placed and lost by real customers through the "unscrupulous" use of algorithms/software.
The agency claimed to have found that global operations of WinZO were undertaken under the single app, meaning that they were being hosted from the India-based platform.
"It was also found that the funds by the Indian entity have been diverted to the US and Singapore under the garb of overseas investments.
"Funds worth USD 55 million (about Rs 489.90 crore) have been parked in their (WinZO) bank account in the US, which is a shell company since all the operations and day-to-day business activities and operation of bank accounts were done from India," the ED charged.
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BCI urges CJI to take action against Andhra HC judge for sending young lawyer to 24-hour custody
New Delhi (PTI): The Bar Council of India on Wednesday sought the urgent intervention of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant following a "deeply disturbing" incident where a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court reportedly sent a young advocate to
24-hour judicial custody over a procedural lapse.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairperson and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, in a formal representation, termed the conduct of Justice Tarlada Rajasekhar Rao "grossly inappropriate" and "damaging to the confidence of the Bar".
“I most respectfully request your Lordship to kindly take immediate institutional cognizance of the matter and call for the video recording of the proceedings, the order passed, and the surrounding circumstances.
“I further request that appropriate administrative action may kindly be considered, including withdrawal of judicial work from the learned Judge pending review, his immediate transfer to some far off High Court, and his nomination for appropriate judicial training/orientation on court management, judicial temperament, Bar-Bench relations, and proportional exercise of contempt/judicial authority,” Mishra wrote.
This representation is made to preserve the “dignity, moral authority and public confidence of the judiciary”, he said, adding, “Judges command the highest respect not by fear, but by fairness, patience, restraint and constitutional humility”.
The communication urged the CJI to intervene at the earliest to ensure that the faith of Bar, particularly young advocates, in the protective and corrective role of the judiciary is restored.
The controversy stems from proceedings on May 5.
According to the BCI, a video circulating online shows Justice Rao rebuking a young advocate who was unable to produce a specific order copy during a hearing.
The letter said that despite the advocate "repeatedly seeking pardon and mercy" and claiming he was in physical pain, the judge remained "unmoved".
The judge allegedly told the lawyer, "now you will learn," and mocked his experience before directing the Registrar and police personnel to take him into custody for 24 hours.
The BCI chairperson said that the judge’s actions lacked proportionality and fairness.
"The dignity of the court is not enhanced when a lawyer is made to beg for grace in open court and is still sent to custody for a procedural lapse," the letter said.
"A young lawyer... is an officer of the Court, still learning, still growing, and entitled to correction without humiliation," it added.
The bar body said that such actions create a "chilling effect" on the legal fraternity, particularly among junior members, and undermine the mutual respect required between the Bench and the Bar.
