Vijay Devarakonda, Prakash Raj, 23 other celebs booked for ‘promoting’ illegal betting apps

Notice issued to celebs, influencers

Reports quoting police said notices have been issued to the actors, YouTubers and social media influencers over their alleged involvement in the ads.

The FIR has been filed under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Telangana Gaming Act and the Information Technology Act at Miyapur Police Station in Hyderabad on the complaint of Phanindra Sarma, a businessman.

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The other celebrities named in the FIR include Praneetha, Nidhi Agarwal, Ananya Nagalla, Siri Hanumanthu, Sreemukhi, Varshini Sounderajan, Vasanthi Krishnan, Shoba Shetty, Amrutha Chowdary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padhmavathi, Imran Khan, Vishnu Priya, Harsha Sai, Sunny Yadav, Shyamala, Tasty Teja, and Bandaru Sheshayani Supritha.

Allegations in FIR

Sarma, in the FIR, has alleged that the illegal betting apps rope in celebrities to promote their apps and websites on social media through advertisements, eventually luring in people who lose their hard-earned money to betting.

“Thousands of lakhs of rupees are involved in these illegal platforms and it is also leading many families into distress, especially that of middle-class and lower-middle class,” the FIR says.

Sarma said he came to know about the issue after interacting with a youth in his colony. Sharing his personal experience, the 32-year-old businessman said he too was about to deposit money in one such betting website, but didn’t do it after being warned by his family.

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Thorough probe on: Police

“These platforms are encouraging public, especially people that are in dire need of money, to invest their hard-earned and family money into those apps/websites and slowly get addicted to them, leading to total financial collapse," the FIR says.

Actor Prakash Raj reacted to the FIR by stating that he did one such ad “way back in 2015” and had “opted out after a year”. He said he is trying to get details of the FIR.

SM Vijay Kumar, DCP (West) told India Today that police are conducting a thorough probe to know more about organisers of betting apps through their promoters and may seek help of other agencies for a detailed investigation.