Hyderabad, Aug 6 Tollywood actor Vijay Deverakonda appeared before the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday regarding the alleged promotion of illegal betting applications.

The actor reached the regional office of the central agency at Basheerbagh around 11 a.m. He is expected to be interrogated about his agreements with betting apps for their promotion and the payments he received from them. Vijay Deverakonda is the second actor to meet with the ED in this matter.

The central agency had previously questioned Prakash Raj on July 30 for five hours. Prakash Raj informed the officials that he did not receive any payment for an endorsement he had done for an advertisement in the past.

The officials gathered information regarding the advertisement he had done for a betting app in 2016. Prakash Raj stated that he told the ED officials he did not accept any payment, as his conscience did not permit him to do so.

Prakash Raj emphasized that he only did one advertisement for a gaming app but later realized that it was a mistake. The ED has recently summoned actors Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda, and Manchu Lakshmi in connection with this case.

Rana Daggubati was instructed to appear on July 23, but he requested a different date. The agency has since issued him a new notice, requiring him to appear on August 11.

Manchu Lakshmi has been asked to appear on August 13. These four actors are among 29 celebrities who were booked by the ED on July 10 for allegedly endorsing illegal betting applications.

The agency filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against 29 actors, influencers, and YouTubers for allegedly promoting illegal betting platforms, in violation of the Public Gambling Act of 1867.

The investigation, conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, is based on five FIRs filed in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Actors Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Nidhi Agarwal, Pranitha Subhash, Manchu Lakshmi, and Ananya Nagella are among those who have been implicated by the ED, which suspects money laundering in these transactions.

The list includes the names of television actors, hosts, and social media influencers such as Sreemukhi, Shyamala, Varshini Sounderajan, Vasanthi Krishnan, Shoba Shetty, Amrutha Chowdary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padhmavathi, Harsha Sai, and Bayya Sunny Yadav.

Many of these personalities had previously been charged by the Hyderabad and Cyberabad Police. FIRs were filed against them at the Panjagutta, Miyapur, Cyberabad, Suryapet, and Visakhapatnam police stations.

In March of this year, Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, and others were charged by the Cyberabad police for allegedly endorsing betting applications.