The Enforcement Directorate has issued fresh summons to senior officials from Meta and Google after they failed to appear for questioning on Monday in a money laundering probe linked to illegal online betting and gambling platforms.
According to official sources, the executives of the two tech majors sought a deferment of their scheduled deposition, citing the need for additional time to gather relevant documents and internal data. The federal agency has granted a one-week extension and asked the representatives to depose on July 28.
Their statements are to be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED is investigating how illegal betting and gambling platforms have managed to promote themselves across major digital ecosystems, including social media platforms, app stores, and other online communication channels. Officials believe that such platforms are not only cheating the public but are also laundering large sums and evading tax obligations running into crores.
The probe covers multiple platforms, with Mahadev Online Book (MOB), allegedly operated by promoters based in Chhattisgarh, figuring prominently in the ongoing investigations.
Also read: ED summons Meta, Google officials in illegal betting case
The agency’s line of questioning is expected to revolve around ad placement policies, vetting mechanisms, and the role of intermediaries, as well as the due diligence exercised by Meta and Google in preventing unlawful content or business from leveraging their services.
“There was no immediate response from the two companies,” said an official source.
The agency is also examining the role of influencers, film personalities, and sportspersons who may have endorsed or promoted betting-related platforms—intentionally or otherwise, on digital platforms. These individuals may also be called to provide statements.
The ED maintains that these betting operations, often masked as gaming platforms, lure users with false promises of high returns and systematically defraud them. Some platforms, according to the agency, have even operated offshore accounts and employed sophisticated money-laundering networks to route earnings out of India.
Investigators are seeking to establish whether any revenue-sharing or ad commission models benefitted the digital platforms directly or indirectly in the promotion of illegal content.
The crackdown comes as part of a wider effort to rein in online economic offences and regulate the digital advertising ecosystem more stringently, especially where it overlaps with financial fraud.
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