New Delhi: He called himself a kisan putra, flaunted his middle-class roots and sold himself as a serious online cricket analyst. But behind the reels and podcasts, he was living a far grander life. One of Lamborghinis, Dubai properties and a wedding on a luxury ship—propped up by betting apps and hawala money.
As the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carries out raids and investigations into the life of Uttar Pradesh-based YouTuber Anurag Dwivedi, more details emerge about his lavish lifestyle.
The ED’s case against Anurag Dwivedi centres on allegations that he used his popularity as a fantasy cricket influencer to promote illegal betting platforms and launder their proceeds through a web of firms, family members and hawala channels. Investigators say fund flows from betting apps, a lifestyle belying his middle class claims, and overseas assets—including properties in Dubai—point to his links to an organised betting syndicate, prompting raids, seizure of luxury vehicles and cash, and the freezing of assets under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
On Thursday, the ED raided 10 locations, including Dwivedi’s houses in Unnao, Delhi, and Lucknow, and impounded four high-end luxury SUVs and a Lamborghini—the combined value of which is Rs 6 crore.
The agency also seized Rs 20 lakh cash from premises linked to Dwivedi. Sources estimate his overall assets, movable and immovable, to be worth about Rs 20 crore. Thursday’s raids are part the agency’s investigations that started in 2022, including raids in June this year on his premises and the discovery of several incriminating details. Sources say the YouTuber fled to Dubai soon after the June raids.
“The seized documents reveal the details of real estate investments made by Anurag Dwivedi in Dubai through hawala channels. Further, movable assets in the form of insurance policies, FD balances, bank account balances amounting to Rs 3 crore (approximately) have also been frozen under the provisions of PMLA, 2002,” an agency spokesman said Friday.
With a following of 2.3 million, Dwivedi describes himself as the “face of Fantasy Cricket” who is “abhi bhi middle class (still middle class)” on Instagram. He has appeared on several podcasts and YouTube channels promoting betting and real money games, the ED spokesman said.
YouTuber Dwivedi’s father, Laxmi Nath Dwivedi,was summoned to appear before the ED Friday. However, sources said he skipped the summons citing ill health—the same reason his son cited on four occasions when he was summoned for questioning. As ED heat intensified, Dwivedi left India for Dubai, and his lavish wedding there went viral across social media.
In August, the Union government banned all real-money games, effectively prohibiting betting apps in the country through the enactment of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025.
How the investigation began
The ED began investigating the case after a West Bengal Police FIR was registered at Siliguri’s Shakti Nagar police station on 23 October 2022.
The FIR was filed after the police raided a flat in the city following information that operatives were running a betting operation there. During the raids, the West Bengal Police took into custody five men: Mayank Sethi, Hanumanta (alias Hemant Rakesh Kumar), Bipin Singh, and Nivash Kumar.
All five of them confessed to working as supervisors in the betting syndicate that invited users to bet on cricket matches during popular tournaments such as the Indian Premier League and the T20 World Cup. For betting on these games, the platform Skyexchange used a Telegram channel named ‘Skyexchange Official’, which directed users to a website where they could place bets. The website also featured games like online Rummy and Ludo where people could play for money. Some customers were also brought in via WhatsApp.
However, the five men claimed limited involvement and that they were executing the instructions of Delhi-based ‘mastermind’ Badal Bharadwaj.
“The online betting has been organised by Badal Bhardawaj of Delhi, and under his instruction, the arrested accused are established and running betting all over India. Among the arrested persons, Rakesh Kumar, Nivash Kumar, Bipin Singh, Mayank Sethi, and Hanumat alias Hemant handle all official work and communicate with Badal Bhardawaj,” a West Bengal Police personnel alleged in the FIR.
“The five persons, with the help of other arrested persons, have been running the betting from Siliguri for three months. It is their job and modus operandi to grab the hard-earned money of innocent people by putting them under threat, blackmailing and cheating in a way,” the FIR added.
After opening an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), the ED examined the flow of funds from the betting platform and reached bank accounts that belonged to Dwivedi’s uncle and a money exchanger, who confessed to having received funds from him. Additionally, the agency found that some proceeds of crime were routed through Dwivedi’s firms’ bank accounts.
According to details available on the Ministry of Corporate Affairs database, Dwivedi manages four firms: Fantwear Fashion, RP Greens India, DSD Sports and Media, and Bhumideva Projects.
“He has been found to have received Proceeds of Crime (POC) from illegal betting apps through various hawala channels and from mule accounts. He creates and circulates promotional videos for illegal betting apps and thereby influencing public at large to bet on those platforms. Large sums were received in the bank accounts of his companies and in the accounts of his family members without corresponding legitimate commercial justification,” the ED spokesman said Friday.
“ED investigation also revealed that Anurag Dwivedi has acquired immovable properties outside India, particularly in Dubai, by utilising the POC generated through the
promotion and facilitation of illegal betting websites,” he added.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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