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.
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Miscreants decamp with 70 kg silver articles from jewellery shop in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): Unidentified miscreants allegedly broke into a jewellery shop here and decamped with approximately 70 kg of silver articles worth crores of rupees, police said on Friday.
The incident was reported at a jewellery shop near 8th Mile, Havanur, on April 28, they said.
According to police, the accused are suspected to have entered the premises from the rear after breaking open the lock and drilling a hole through the wall of the shop.
The incident came to light at around 7 am on April 28 when shop staff opened the premises and discovered signs of forced entry and extensive damage to the rear section of the building, following which they alerted police authorities.
Preliminary estimates indicate that around 70 kg of silver articles, worth crores, were stolen. Most of the silver items displayed in the cupboards were taken, while valuables kept in the locker remained intact, a senior police officer said.
Police said CCTV cameras inside the shop were not functioning. Efforts are underway to identify the suspects using footage from cameras installed in the vicinity.
The miscreants also allegedly took away the Digital Video Recorder (of CCTV) of an adjacent shop, the officer added.
Investigators are also examining the tools and techniques used to gain access to the shop, suspecting the involvement of a professional gang with prior knowledge of the store layout.
A case has been registered at Bagalagunte Police Station, and further investigation is underway to identify and apprehend the accused, police said.
