Tejas Navale

Pune: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated a significant operation in the Fairplay app case, conducting raids across 19 locations in Mumbai and Pune. This action comes as part of an ongoing investigation into unauthorised broadcasting and betting activities associated with the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, as well as alleged betting on the Lok Sabha election results.

The ED's operations have led to the seizure and freezing of assets worth approximately Rs 8 crore. These assets include cash, funds in bank and demat accounts, luxury watches, and various documents related to the crimes under investigation. During the raids, the ED also recovered crucial documents and digital devices that may provide further insights into the illegal activities.

The Enforcement Directorate, operating under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002, executed the raids on June 12. The primary focus was on uncovering the extent of financial irregularities and unauthorised broadcasting associated with the Fairplay app. The case has its roots in a complaint filed by Vineet Chandra Sharma, Vice President of Legal at Viacom 18, regarding the piracy of their paid content on various unauthorised apps.

According to the complaint, Viacom 18's anti-piracy technical team discovered in October 2021 that their subscription-based content was being illegally shown on apps such as Picashow, Foxy, Vedu, Smart Player Lite, Film Plus, and TTV. Viacom 18, which operates the Voot OTT platform and several popular TV channels, faced significant revenue losses due to this piracy.

Further investigation by the ED revealed that Fairplay had engaged Indian agencies to represent celebrities through foreign entities based in Dubai and Curacao. These Indian agencies, it appears, did not exercise due diligence before entering into agreements to promote Fairplay. The ED's probe also uncovered that Fairplay collected funds through a network of over 400 shell bank accounts. These accounts were used to channel funds to pharmaceutical companies involved in bogus billing and subsequently to foreign shell entities in Hong Kong SAR, China, and Dubai.

The ED has registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Articles 420 and 120B, as well as sections of the Information Technology Act and the Copyright Act. The crime is alleged to have taken place between October 2021 and April 20, 2023.

In addition to the Rs 8 crore in seized assets, the ED has also uncovered details of numerous other crimes through the seized documents and digital devices. The agency's efforts are now focused on tracing the full extent of the financial transactions and identifying all parties involved in the network of unauthorised broadcasting and betting.