Hyderabad: The Enforcement Directorate has called upon actors Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda, and Lakshmi Manchu for interrogation regarding a money laundering investigation associated with unlawful online betting and gambling activities conducted by certain platforms, as reported by official sources on Monday.

The federal investigative agency has requested Daggubati (40) to report to its zonal office in Hyderabad on July 23. Raj (60) is expected to appear on July 30, Deverakonda (36) on August 6, and Lakshmi (47) on August 13, according to the sources, who noted that these individuals had “endorsed” online betting applications allegedly implicated in the creation of “illicit” funds.

Upon their arrival, the agency will document their statements in accordance with the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources indicated.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has acknowledged a total of five FIRs filed by state police to initiate its case against these actors, along with several other celebrities and social media influencers.

These individuals are believed to have “endorsed” online betting applications such as Junglee Rummy, JeetWin, and Lotus365, in exchange for celebrity or endorsement fees, as per ED sources.

These platforms are accused of generating “illicit” funds through illegal betting and gambling activities amounting to crores of rupees, the sources stated.

Some of these “prominent” individuals have previously claimed that they were unaware of the precise operations of the applications and products they promoted, asserting that they did not engage with these platforms for any illegal activities, including betting.