India's Enforcement Directorate Freezes ₹185.7 Million in Nirdesa Networks and Gameskraft; ₹5.05 Billion Linked to WinZO Games Under Scrutiny

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified actions against prominent online real-money gaming firms amid multiple allegations of cheating and financial fraud. Bank accounts worth ₹185.7 million associated with Nirdesa Networks Pvt. Ltd. (operator of Pocket52) and Gameskraft Technologies Pvt. Ltd. have been frozen. Simultaneously, proceeds of crime valued at approximately ₹5.05 billion linked to WinZO Games Pvt. Ltd. have been similarly seized under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Key Highlights:

ED conducted coordinated raids and searches across Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, and Gurugram targeting the offices and residences of top executives and promoters of the involved companies.

Allegations include rigging of gaming algorithms to disadvantage genuine players, use of bots ("house players") to drain winnings, and manipulation of KYC details.

The investigation found promoters owning cryptocurrency wallets, suggesting laundering of illicit gains through crypto channels.

WinZO Games retained about ₹430 million post the nationwide ban on real-money gaming effective August 22, 2025.

Escrow accounts worth over ₹185 million linked to Pocket52 and associated entities were frozen, suspected to be proceeds of crime.

The probe revealed suspected diversion of funds abroad via shell companies with no genuine overseas operations.

The ED seized digital devices and cloned data to strengthen evidence against these firms and individuals.

The crackdown reflects the government's firm stance on curbing illegal online gaming activities and associated financial crimes.

Sources: Storyboard18, News18, NDTV Profit, Economic Times