Crime
Rana, Vijaya Devarakonda, Prakash Raj issue clarifications on betting apps
 
												Hyderabad, March 21: Hours after Cyberabad police registered a FIR against them for allegedly promoting betting apps, Tollywood actors Rana Daggubati, Vijay Devarakonda and Prakash Raj on Thursday clarified that they are not promoting any illegal app.
While Rana Daggubati and Vijay Devarakonda stated that they endorsed only legally permitted online skill-based games, Prakash Raj said he did not renew a contract to promote an app in 2017 after realising that he should not have done it.
Rana and Vijay Devarakonda issued separate statements through their media teams while Prakash Raj posted a video on his ‘X’ handle to give his clarification.
According to a statement issued on behalf of Rana Daggubati, he entered into a contract with a company to act as a brand ambassador for skill-based games, which expired in 2017.
“His endorsement was strictly limited to regions where online skill-based games were legally permitted. Rana Daggubati’s legal team thoroughly reviews all partnerships before any agreements are made. After a careful legal review, he agreed to endorse the platform, ensuring full compliance with the law,” reads the statement.
It further clarified that Rana Daggubati’s endorsement of a legal and skill-based gaming platform was fully compliant with the law. “It is essential to highlight these online games, have been recognized by the Supreme Court of India as distinct from gambling. The Court has ruled that these games are based on skill, not chance, and are therefore legally allowed,” it added.
Earlier, Vijay Devarakaonda’s team also issued a clarification.
The actor had officially entered into a contract with a company solely for the limited purpose of serving as a brand ambassador for skill-based games.
“His endorsement was strictly confined to regions and territories where online skill-based games are legally permitted. It is important to clarify that skill-based games, including online games such as rummy, have been repeatedly recognised by the Supreme Court of India as distinct from gambling or gaming. The court has upheld that such games involve skill rather than chance, making them legally permissible,” reads the statement.
“Mr. Vijay Deverakonda’s legal team and agencies carefully review all associations before entering into any agreements. After a thorough legal review, he had agreed to endorse the skill-based gaming platform A23, ensuring that his association aligned with the law standards. However, his endorsement term ended in 2023, and he is no longer associated with the brand. This press release is being issued to eliminate any misconceptions / misinformation and to emphasize that Mr. Vijay Deverakonda’s past endorsement of a legally recognized skill-based gaming company was completely lawful.”
Prakash Raj, in his video statement, said in June 2016 he did an advertisement for a gaming app. “But within a few months I realised it may be legal but it was not right. I couldn’t have done anything because I have done it. I let it go. It was a year’s contract and when they wanted to renew it I said no. My conscience does not accept and I don’t want to continue. It happened 8-9 years ago. Since then I have not done any ads which promote online gambling,” he said.
The actor said in 2021 when the company which might have been sold to someone else had put some snippets on social media he sent them a notice saying they can’t illegally use them. He appealed to youngsters not to be victims of gambling because it ruins life.
Prakash Raj said that he has not received any notice from the police and if he receives anything he will reply.
Earlier, Cyberabad police registered a case against Rana Daggubati, Vijaya Devarakonda, Manchu Lakshmi, Nidhi Agarwal and others.
A case against six actors and 19 social media influencers has been registered at Miyapur Police Station of Cyberabad Commissionerate.
The First Information Report (FIR) has been registered under sections 318 (4), 112 r/w 49 of Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 3, 3 (A) and 4 of Telangana Gaming Act and 66D of Information Technology Act 2008.
The police registered a case on a complaint by one Phanidra Sharma, a resident of Miyapur, who stated that he found several celebrities and social media influencers actively promoting illegal betting apps, websites and other platforms. The complainant said promotion of betting apps was causing harm to individuals and society by encouraging this addictive short-term risky money-making behaviour leading to financial distress.
Crime
Navi Mumbai Fraud: Panvel Police Arrest Couple From Pune For Duping Residents With Fake Discounted Grocery And Household Offers

Navi Mumbai: The Panvel Taluka Police have arrested a couple who allegedly cheated several people of lakhs of rupees by promising to supply groceries, clothes, and household goods at discounted rates.
The accused, identified as Nawin Dhanaji Panchal (52) and Vidya Nawin Panchal (45), were arrested from Alandi in Pune and have been remanded in police custody till October 31 by the court.
According to the police, the Panchal couple rented flats in various housing societies across Panvel, where they initially gained the trust of residents by supplying groceries and household items at wholesale prices. Once they established credibility, they lured victims with offers to start a grocery business together, collecting large sums of money.
One such complainant from Panvel was cheated of Rs 5 lakh, after which the couple switched off their phones and vacated their rented home without delivering goods or returning the money.
Following a complaint, a case was registered against the duo under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Acting on technical intelligence, a police team tracked them to Alandi in Pune. Under the supervision of Senior Police Inspector Gajanan Ghadge, a team led by API Aniruddha Gije and PSI Harshal Rajput laid a trap and arrested the accused on October 27.
“During the investigation, we found that the Panchal couple used multiple mobile numbers, email IDs, and bank accounts to cheat people in the same manner in different cities. They were previously booked in similar cases in Nagpur and Kalyan and had been absconding. We suspect more victims may come forward as the probe continues,” said Senior Police Inspector Gajanan Ghadge of Panvel Taluka Police Station.
Police have appealed to citizens who may have fallen victim to the couple’s fraud to contact their nearest police station immediately.
Crime
Father, son found murdered in Bihar’s Bhojpur; political angle suspected

Patna, Oct 31: A sense of shock and fear gripped Belghat village under Mufassil police station in Bihar’s Bhojpur district on Friday after two persons — a father and his son — were found lying murdered on the roadside.
The deceased have been identified as Pramod Kushwaha and his son Priyanshu Kushwaha, residents of Belghat.
According to local sources, the duo had gone out for some work on Thursday afternoon but did not return home until late in the evening.
Their family launched a search, and at around 4 a.m. on Friday, both were discovered unconscious along the road.
Police, upon being informed, reached the spot and seized a motorcycle and three empty cartridges found near the scene.
Pramod Kushwaha is known locally as the owner of the Maurya Sweets shop in Piyania Bazaar and is also an active worker of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM).
The incident occurred at a time when the election campaign was underway in Bihar.
Due to his political affiliation, police are probing the case from both personal and political angles.
Mufassil Police Station SHO Deepak Kumar reached the site with a large police force.
A forensic team was called in to collect evidence, and several suspects are currently being questioned.
The local police recovered the dead bodies from the crime scene and sent them for the post-mortem in Sadar Hospital, Ara.
The incident has triggered panic in the area, with residents expressing fear over the brazenness of the attack.
Bhojpur Police suspect that the act could be a well-planned conspiracy and executed with precision, raising suspicions of an old enmity or an organised gang’s involvement.
An FIR has been lodged under relevant sections of the BNS Act against unidentified persons, and a detailed investigation is underway.
This disturbing incident once again highlights the lingering atmosphere of fear and lawlessness in parts of Bihar, where politics and crime often intersect.
Crime
ED attaches Rs 127.3 cr shares linked to Alchemist group in PMLA case

New Delhi, Oct 31: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached shares worth Rs 127.3 crore linked to two hospitals – Alchemist Hospital and Ojas Hospital in Panchkula – as part of an ongoing money laundering probe involving the Alchemist Group, the agency said on Friday.
The properties are beneficially owned by businessman Karan Deep Singh. The order was issued by the ED’s Delhi Zonal Office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, on October 30, 2025.
The action is connected to a probe into alleged large-scale financial fraud and misappropriation of public funds by the group’s promoters and associated companies.
The ED initiated its investigation based on an FIR registered by Kolkata Police, which was later taken up by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), ACB Lucknow, under Sections 120-B and 420 of the IPC against Alchemist Township Pvt. Ltd., Alchemist Infra Realty Pvt. Ltd., their directors, and former Rajya Sabha MP and group chairman Kanwar Deep Singh.
“The case pertains to a large-scale criminal conspiracy to defraud investors by illegally raising funds through fraudulent Collective Investment Schemes (CIS), offering unusually high returns, and/ or making false promises of allotting plots, flats, and villas,” ED said in its press note.
The agency claims that Alchemist Holdings Ltd. and Alchemist Township India Ltd. raised approximately Rs 1,848 crore through these schemes, siphoning the money for unauthorised use.
“ED investigation revealed that the misappropriated funds were systematically layered through complex financial transactions involving group entities of the Alchemist Group, with the intent to conceal the illicit origin of the funds,” the agency said.
“These tainted proceeds were ultimately used for the acquisition of shares and the subsequent construction of Alchemist Hospital and Ojas Hospital. The transactions were deliberately structured to project these assets as legitimate, thereby disguising the Proceeds of Crime (POC),” it further added.
According to the ED, the shares of Alchemist Hospital and Ojas Hospital are held to the extent of 40.93 per cent and 37.23 per cent, respectively, by M/s Placid Estate Pvt. Ltd., a company beneficially owned by Kanwar Deep Singh.
“The assets of Alchemist Hospital and Ojas Hospital as held by M/s. Placid Estate Pvt. Ltd, valued at Rs 127.3 crore, has been attached in the current provisional attachment order,” it said.
In addition, the ED noted that it had previously arrested Kanwar Deep Singh on January 12, 2021.
A prosecution complaint was filed on March 2, 2021, followed by two supplementary complaints in July 2024 and September 2025. So far, assets worth Rs 365.42 crore have been attached in the case through earlier orders, including shares held by Sorus Agritech Pvt. Ltd. in the same hospitals.
Further investigation is underway.
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