ED Chargesheets WinZO Over Alleged Bot-Rigged Games, Rs 3,522 Crore Laundering

Overview

• The Bengaluru ED office filed the prosecution complaint on January 23, naming WinZO, directors Paavan Nanda and Saumya Singh Rathore, and Indian and overseas subsidiaries.
• Investigators say games used bots and AI until December 2023, then from May 2024 to August 2025 simulated dormant players’ past gameplay against real users without consent.
• The agency estimates genuine users lost about Rs 734 crore and alleges Rs 47.66 crore in legitimate winnings and deposits were not returned after the real-money gaming ban.
• ED pegs proceeds of crime at Rs 3,522.05 crore, alleging about USD 55 million moved to shell entities in the US and Singapore and Rs 230 crore diverted as loans without business rationale.
• Searches on November 18 and December 30, 2025 seized records and froze assets worth roughly Rs 690 crore, and earlier arrests included the co-founders, with at least one later granted bail.