Bengaluru, February 18: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched a significant operation against the online real-money gaming platform, Winzo Private Limited, in connection with a money laundering case. The agency has provisionally attached approximately ₹505 crores held in foreign bank accounts located in the USA and Singapore.
These accounts are registered under Winzo’s foreign shell companies, Winzo US Inc. (USA) and Winzo SG Private Limited (Singapore), which are controlled by the company’s promoters, Pawan Nanda and Soumya Singh Rathore.
Previously, the ED conducted searches at Winzo’s offices and the homes of its directors on November 18, 2025, and at its accounting firm on December 30, 2025. Evidence gathered during these investigations indicated that the company was involved in fraudulent and criminal activities. Users on the Winzo app were compelled to play against bots, AI, algorithms, or software (referred to as PPP/EP/Persona) without being informed that they were not competing against real players.
The company restricted or limited withdrawals from users’ wallets. Matches played against bots generated ‘rack commissions’ as crime proceeds. Delays in withdrawals and the use of bots repeatedly prompted users to continue playing, gradually converting their deposits into rack commissions. According to the ED, the company earned a total of ₹3,522.05 crores from criminal activities between the financial years 2021-22 and 2025-26 (up to August 22, 2025).
To date, the ED has frozen movable properties worth approximately ₹689 crores in this case. A portion of the crime proceeds was transferred from India to the USA and Singapore under the guise of overseas investments. All operations and banking activities were conducted from India. The total amount frozen or attached has now reached around ₹1,194 crores.
On January 23, 2026, a prosecution complaint was filed in the Special Court (CCH-1) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Bengaluru. The ED has alleged that the company deceived users and laundered funds through shell companies. Further investigations are ongoing, focusing on other involved parties and fund transfers.
This case highlights the issues of transparency and user safety within the real-money gaming industry. Platforms like Winzo have millions of users, and the ED’s actions may lead to increased scrutiny in the sector.
Deependra Singh Chundawat is a Senior Sub-Editor at Udaipur Kiran, specializing in a wide range of technology topics including mobile phones, applications, gaming, PCs, and wearables. Along with covering the latest tech news, he also creates engaging web stories. Passionate about emerging technologies, he stays up to date with the newest trends and enjoys reading and writing about the latest mobile launches and digital innovations.
