Overview
- ED custody was granted for ten days to interrogate co-founders Saumya Singh Rathore and Paavan Nanda under the money-laundering law.
- ED alleged in court that WinZO’s hidden “PPP” algorithm matched players against software rather than humans, producing about Rs 177 crore from May 2024 to August 2025.
- Investigators froze assets linked to WinZO worth roughly Rs 505 crore and say about Rs 43 crore of player balances were held after the August 22 real‑money gaming ban.
- The probe cites suspected diversion of funds overseas, including around USD 55 million parked in a U.S. account of WinZO US Inc., which ED described as a shell entity.
- The case arises from FIRs alleging cheating, account blocking, and misuse of KYC and PAN data, while WinZO says it is cooperating and asserts compliance.