Mumbai: In a sensational turn of events, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has uncovered a sprawling money laundering nexus allegedly involving the FairPlay betting app, tying it to prominent Bollywood celebrities, talent management companies, and a network of shell firms across diverse industries, including pharmaceuticals, entertainment, fashion, and hospitality. This nationwide probe has revealed how celebrity promotion, endorsements and bogus companies were strategically used to launder money and pay high-profile figures. The spotlight has fallen on Bollywood actors Jacqueline Fernandez and Sanjay Dutt, along with rapper Badshah, whose promotion, endorsements and financial transactions are under ED scrutiny.
These revelations underline the depth of the alleged conspiracy, where the glamour of celebrity promotions masked an intricate network of alleged illegal activities orchestrated by the app’s operators. Actress Jacqueline Fernandez reportedly received significant payments from Dubai-based Trim General Trading LLC for endorsing FairPlay. Documents provided by Jacqueline to the Cyber Cell, later shared with the ED, revealed that Trim General Trading LLC had contracted Mumbai-based Pals And Peers Entertainment Private Limited (PPEPL).
A few months ago, the ED conducted searches at PPEPL's office in Bandra, where they seized crucial documents, including bank transaction statements from PPEPL to actress Jacqueline Fernandez and fixed deposit records from Shiv Sahyadri Saha.