ED Raids Dream11 Office and Co-Founder Bhavit Sheth's Premises in Major Money Laundering Case
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted search operations at more than 30 locations across India on Friday as part of a money laundering probe that has brought online fantasy gaming platform Dream11 and its co-founder Bhavit Sheth under regulatory scrutiny. Among the locations searched were Dream11’s office and premises linked to Sheth, as reported by several media outlets.
The action is connected to an ongoing investigation into an alleged Rs 2,434 crore financial fraud involving Mumbai-based conglomerate Jai Corp Limited. Harsh Jain’s father, Anand Jaikumar Jain, who is a director at Jai Corp, is also under scrutiny. Investigators are examining whether the funds raised for real estate investments were instead diverted to foreign companies.
The searches were carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and also covered properties linked to Anand Jain. More than 20 premises were searched in Mumbai, while additional locations in Nashik, Bengaluru, and Raipur were also raided. According to reports, the agency is probing possible financial links between Jai Corp, Dream Sports (the parent company of Dream11), and Bhavit Sheth.
Investigators are examining whether funds allegedly siphoned off in the Jai Corp case were channeled through a network of entities, including technology and sports gaming firms, using structured transactions to obscure their origin. The money laundering probe originates from a CBI case against Anand Jain, Jai Corp Limited, and others, following a petition by activist Shoaib Richie Sequeira. The FIR was filed after the Bombay High Court directed the CBI in February to form a special investigation team to probe alleged financial irregularities, including misuse of public funds, investor fraud, round tripping through overseas shell firms, and diversion of funds via fictitious transactions and invoices.
As per the CBI’s case details, the special investigation team is probing multiple suspected offences, including irregularities in domestic real estate investment funds, questionable transactions involving private funds in Mauritius and Jersey, improper futures trading, diversion of bank loans to offshore entities, and fraudulent export-related transactions linked to Australia and the United States. Entrackr has reached out to Dream11 for more information.
The development comes shortly after the ED arrested two founders of the online gaming platform WinZO on money laundering charges. This series of actions highlights the growing regulatory focus on the online gaming industry and the need for transparency in financial transactions.
