The seizures were made during multi-state ED raids under the PMLA linked to illegal online betting operations.

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said it has seized two luxury vehicles—a Land Rover Defender and a BMW Z4—belonging to social media influencer and YouTuber Anurag Dwivedi as part of its investigation into an illegal online betting and gambling network.

The seizures were made during search operations carried out on December 31, 2025, and January 1, 2026, across nine locations in Delhi, Mumbai, Surat, Lucknow and Varanasi. The raids were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

“These premises are linked to Social Media Influencer and YouTuber Anurag Dwivedi, and various online gaming and betting applications suspected to be involved in the generation and laundering of Proceeds of Crime (POC),” the ED said in a statement.

Apart from the two high-end cars, the agency said it has seized several incriminating documents and digital devices during the searches.

Earlier, on December 17, 2025, the ED had conducted searches at 10 locations in Lucknow, Unnao and Delhi linked to Dwivedi. During those operations, four luxury vehicles—including a Lamborghini Urus, Mercedes, Ford Endeavour and Thar—were seized, along with incriminating documents, digital devices, and cash amounting to around ₹20 lakh.

“The seized material revealed real estate investments in Dubai through hawala channels, and movable assets worth approximately ₹3 crore in the form of insurance policies, fixed deposits and bank balances were frozen under Section 17(1A) of PMLA, 2002,” the ED said.

The money laundering probe was initiated following an FIR registered by the West Bengal Police in connection with illegal online betting activities.

“It was revealed that an online betting panel was being operated from Siliguri by accused persons Sonu Kumar Thakur and Vishal Bhardwaj using mule bank accounts and digital platforms.”

The ED further stated that its investigation established that “Anurag Dwivedi actively promoted illegal betting platforms, received POC through hawala channels and mule accounts, and acquired immovable properties in Dubai out of such proceeds”.

“It was also found that Anurag Dwivedi has left India and is presently residing in Dubai and has failed to appear before the ED despite issuance of multiple summons,” the agency added.

In the same case, the ED had earlier arrested three individuals and filed a Prosecution Complaint before a special PMLA court in Kolkata on August 1, 2025. The agency has also frozen and attached movable assets worth ₹27 crore in connection with the investigation.

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