Tripura IPL betting racket: ED seizes assets worth Rs 1.05 crore

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Agartala Sub-Zonal Office, has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth approximately Rs 1.05 crore in connection with an alleged illegal IPL and cricket betting syndicate operating in Tripura under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

According to the ED, the attachment was made through a Provisional Attachment Order issued on July 31, 2026. The attached assets include nine immovable properties and balances in various bank accounts held in the names of accused Prasenjit Paul, his alleged associate Laxman Paul, and their family members.

The ED launched its investigation based on an FIR registered by Amtali Police Station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Tripura Gambling Act, 1926. The case originated from a police raid conducted on May 11, 2023, at the residence of Prasenjit Paul, during which officers seized Rs 93 lakh in cash, a laptop, mobile phones, four debit cards, and 17 notebooks allegedly containing records of betting transactions.

The investigation under the PMLA revealed that Prasenjit Paul, allegedly in connivance with his maternal uncle Laxman Paul and other associates, was running an organised illegal betting racket involving IPL and other cricket matches.

The ED further alleged that Laxman Paul helped Prasenjit Paul carry out the betting operations and evade arrest. Investigators also found that Laxman Paul and his wife, Jhuma Dey Paul, in whose names several bank accounts were maintained, had accumulated substantial cash deposits and multiple immovable properties despite having no documented or legitimate source of income.

Officials said the newly attached properties include agricultural and residential land parcels located in West Tripura and a property in Kolkata, West Bengal, allegedly purchased largely through cash transactions, along with bank account balances.

This is the second Provisional Attachment Order issued in the case. Earlier, on March 16, 2026, the ED had attached properties belonging to Prasenjit Paul and his mother.

With the latest attachment, the total value of proceeds of crime attached in the case has reached approximately Rs 2.43 crore, including cash, immovable properties, and bank balances.
The Enforcement Directorate said further investigation into the money laundering case is underway.