Bengaluru, Jan 25, 2026
The ED filed a chargesheet in a Special Court (PMLA) against Winzo, a company in the business of hosting Real Money Games (RMG) through its mobile application, for cheating and money laundering, an official said on Sunday.
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Bengaluru Zonal Office, filed the chargesheet on January 23 before the Special Court under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, said a statement.
The ED filed the chargesheet against Winzo Pvt. Ltd., arraigning the company as the main accused along with its directors, Paavan Nanda and Saumya Singh Rathore, and also its wholly owned 100 per cent subsidiaries, both foreign and Indian entities – Winzo US Inc, Winzo SG Pte Ltd and ZO Pvt. Ltd, the statement said.
The ED initiated investigations based on multiple FIRs registered by Bengaluru CEN Police Station and Police authorities in Rajasthan, New Delhi, and Gurugram for offences of cheating under the IPC, 1860.
Earlier, the ED conducted search and seizure operations on November 18, 2025 and December 30, 2025, at the office of Winzo, the residential premises of its director, and the office of its accounting firm, it said.
The searches resulted in the seizure of incriminating documents, electronic records, and freezing of movable assets, including bank balances, payment gateway balances, mutual funds, bonds, fixed deposits, and cryptocurrency wallets, valued at Rs 690 crore, the statement said.
The company, Winzo, is into the business of hosting Real Money Games (RMG) through its mobile application, offering more than 100 number games with a claimed user base of about 25 crore, largely from Tier-3 and Tier-4 cities, the ED said.
For providing these RMG services, the company charges a certain percentage of the betting amounts of the users, as commission. Further, the company also assured its users that its gaming platform is free from any BOTs and transparent and secure, the statement said.
However, the investigation revealed that most RMGs were manipulated. Analysis of the game codebases, third-party developer agreements, and internal communications revealed that till December 2023, the RMGs were embedded with BOTs/AI/algorithmprofiles, she said.
During the period May 2024 to August 2025, the company changed its code-based BOT modus operandi to simulate historical match-play data of dormant/inactive players against real users without their knowledge or consent, it said.
In order to suppress and conceal these unscrupulous acts, the company deliberately referred to the use of BOTs and simulated players under misleading terminologies such as EP (Engagement Play), PPP (Past Performance of Player), and Persona, it said.(Agency)
FOLLOW NOW
