Winzo App Case: ED attaches Rs 505 crore in US, Singapore accounts

The ED has attached USD 55.69 million (Rs 505 crore) in foreign bank accounts of Winzo Pvt Ltd's shell companies in the US and Singapore. The total proceeds of crime attached in the gaming app case now stands at around Rs 1194 crore.

ED Attaches Foreign Assets Worth Rs 505 Crore

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached a balance in the foreign bank accounts, maintained in the USA and Singapore, amounting to USD 55.69 million (Rs 505 crore), held in the names of overseas shell companies in the Winzo App case.

ED's Bengaluru zonal office attached these movable properties held in the names of overseas shell companies of Winzo Pvt Ltd, Winzo US Inc, USA and Winzo SG Pte Ltd, Singapore; operated and controlled by Paavan Nanda and Saumya Singh Rathore. To date, the total proceeds of crime attached and frozen in the instant case are around Rs 1194 crore.

Investigation Unearths Use of Bots, Unscrupulous Practices

Earlier, ED has conducted search and Seizure operations at the office premises of Winzo Pvt Ltd, and the residential premises of its Director on November 18, 2025 and its accounting firm on December 30, 2025. "The evidence unearthed during the search and subsequent investigation revealed that the company was engaged in criminal activities and unscrupulous practices. The customers were made to play with BOTs/AI/algorithms/software (termed as PPP/EP/Persona) without being made aware of the fact that they are playing with BOTs/AI/algorithms and not with humans in real money games. Winzo has also prevented/limited withdrawals of monies held by the customers in the wallets of Winzo Pvt Ltd," ED said in a statement.

How Winzo Generated Proceeds of Crime

The agency further said that Winzo Pvt Ltd also generated Proceeds of Crime in the form of 'Rake Commission' from the matches played by the BOTs with the real players on their Winzo App.

"Further, by using the BOTs and a restrictive environment in withdrawing the funds, the users were induced to play more and more matches. Through repeated gameplay under these conditions, users' deposited amounts were progressively appropriated by the company in the form of rake commission charged on each match. The cumulative effect of this mechanism enabled the company to systematically convert users' deposits into revenue, i.e., rake commission. In this manner, the company has derived total Proceeds of Crime amounting to Rs 3522.05 crore, for the financial years 2021-22 to 2025-26 (till August 22, 2025)."

Funds Parked Overseas, Prosecution Complaint Filed

So far, the ED said, it has frozen movable properties amounting to Rs 689 crore in the instant case. Further, a part of the direct Proceeds of Crime has been taken out of India to the USA and Singapore under the garb of overseas investments, the financial probe agency stated.

"All the operations and day-to-day business activities, operation of bank accounts is done from India. However, the funds worth USD 55 Million have been parked in their bank account in the USA and Singapore," it added.

Further, a prosecution complaint was filed before the special PMLA court, Bengaluru, on January 23 this year. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)