UnnaoFour luxury cars, including a Lamborghini Urus valued at Rs 4.18 crore and a Mercedes, were seized from the Nawabganj home of well-known YouTuber Anurag Dwivedi in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, as part of a massive crackdown on online gambling and betting schemes by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). On December 17, nine locations in Lucknow and Unnao underwent dramatic searches that turned up incriminating evidence connecting Dwivedi to money laundered through hawala networks. A Ford Endeavour and a Thar were among the other cars that were seized; they were all reported as proceeds of crime under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The FIR that initiated the investigation was Siliguri Betting Empire.The case started with a West Bengal Police FIR against suspects like Sonu Kumar Thakur and Vishal Bhardwaj who operated illicit betting operations out of Siliguri. They organized large-scale online gambling panels involving forgery and cheating using mule bank accounts, Telegram channels, and digital platforms. Dwivedi, a social media influencer who actively promoted these platforms through viral YouTube videos, attracted hordes of users, and increased the scope of illicit activity, was the focus of ED's investigation.
The dirty money trail of a YouTuber: family accounts, Dubai properties, and hawalaInvestigations exposed Dwivedi's intricate money laundering scheme, which involved him pocketing large sums of money through mule accounts, hawala operators, cash drops via middlemen, and deposits into the bank accounts of his family members and businesses—none of which were supported by a legitimate business. The trail took them abroad, where Dwivedi used money obtained through hawala channels to purchase real estate in Dubai. He has evaded several ED summonses while holed up in Dubai after escaping India, raising suspicions of a larger network.
Promotion Kingpin: From criminal proceeds to viral videosWhen Dwivedi allegedly used his platform as a weapon to promote Sky Exchange and other similar betting apps and entice viewers to place illicit bets, his notoriety on YouTube turned toxic. His opulent lifestyle was financed by the windfall, but ED's raids revealed the paper trail, which included hidden investments and promotional material. With more attachments and arrests imminent, investigators are currently removing layers to find accomplices, measure the illegal haul, and track down additional assets.