Key Points
- ₹331.36 crore deposited in Rapido bike driver’s account between August 2024 and April 2025
- Driver lived in a two-room Delhi slum, unaware of the transactions in his account
- Over ₹1 crore spent on a Gujarat politician’s grand destination wedding in Udaipur
- Account identified as classic “mule platform” for laundering OneXbet illegal betting proceeds
- Former cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina had ₹11.14 crore assets attached in the same probe
- ED investigating multiple celebrities and cricketers who endorsed OneXbet surrogates
The Enforcement Directorate’s investigation into the illegal betting app OneXbet took an astonishing turn when officers discovered ₹331.36 crore deposited in the bank account of a Delhi bike taxi driver over just eight months. The federal agency stumbled upon the Rapido driver while tracing money trails in the money laundering case linked to the offshore betting platform. Between August 19, 2024, and April 16, 2025, the account received massive deposits from multiple unknown sources, which were rapidly transferred to other suspicious accounts.
When ED officials raided the address listed in bank records, they found the driver living in a modest two-room shanty in a Delhi slum, spending his entire day driving a bike taxi to earn a basic living. The stark contrast between his humble lifestyle and the astronomical bank balance immediately signaled a sophisticated money laundering operation. The driver told investigators he had no knowledge of the bank transactions and could not identify the bride, groom, or their families whose wedding expenses were funded through his account.
Mule Account Network Exposed
The ED quickly identified this as a classic case of a “mule account” being used to launder illegal funds earned through financial crimes. In such schemes, the actual user is not the account holder, accounts are created using fake or borrowed KYC credentials in exchange for commissions. The investigation revealed that large sums were deposited from multiple unknown sources and quickly transferred to other suspicious accounts, effectively layering the money to obscure its illegal origins.
Officials confirmed that one of the funding sources linked to the driver’s bank account was connected to illegal gambling operations. The OneXbet network operated extensively in India through over 6,000 such mule accounts, collecting user funds through multiple payment gateways without proper KYC verification. Merchants were onboarded under false pretences, with declared business activities inconsistent with their transaction patterns. The ED is now verifying additional sources and destinations of transactions that flowed through this account.
The Udaipur Wedding Connection: Gujarat Politician Under Scrutiny
The money trail led investigators to a lavish destination wedding at a plush hotel in Rajasthan’s lake city of Udaipur, where over ₹1 crore from the driver’s account was spent on the ceremony. The grand event, held in November 2024, is linked to Gujarat youth political figure Aditya Zula, who may soon be summoned for questioning. The politician’s involvement has added a significant political dimension to the investigation, raising questions about how deeply the betting network’s influence extends into political circles.
The bike taxi driver maintained he had no connection to the wedding participants and no knowledge of how his account was used to fund the extravagant celebration. This disconnect between the account holder and beneficiaries is typical of professional money laundering operations, where mule accounts serve as intermediaries to distance illegal funds from their ultimate recipients. The ED is now investigating the full extent of the political connections and whether other public figures may have benefited from similar arrangements.
Celebrity Endorsements Under Investigation
The OneXbet probe has expanded to include several high-profile celebrities and former cricketers who allegedly promoted the betting platform’s surrogate brands. The ED recently attached assets worth ₹11.14 crore belonging to former Indian cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina as part of the investigation. The seized assets include ₹6.64 crore in mutual fund investments under Raina’s name and ₹4.5 crore worth of immovable property under Dhawan’s name.
Investigations revealed that both players had entered into endorsement deals with foreign entities promoting 1xBet’s surrogates, with payments routed through layered foreign transactions to conceal their illicit origins. The ED has alleged that the cricketers “knowingly” entered into these agreements, facilitating the betting platform’s illegal operations in India. The agency has also questioned several other cricketers and celebrities who may have participated in similar promotional activities for the betting network.
The Scale of OneXbet’s Illegal Operations
The OneXbet investigation has revealed the massive scale of illegal betting operations in India, with the network using sophisticated financial structures to evade detection. The platform operated without authorisation, using surrogate branding and advertisements to target Indian users through social media, online videos, and print media. Payments for endorsements were structured through layered transactions using foreign intermediaries to disguise the illegal source of funds.
The discovery of the bike driver’s account represents just one thread in a complex web of money laundering that extends across multiple states and involves thousands of mule accounts. The ED’s investigation continues to unravel the network’s operations, with officials examining transaction patterns, merchant onboarding procedures, and the involvement of payment gateway operators who may have facilitated the scheme. The case highlights the urgent need for stricter KYC verification and monitoring of digital payment systems to prevent similar laundering operations.
