ED summons Tollywood actors Rana Daggubati, Vijay Deverakonda in betting app probe

Hyderabad: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned Tollywood actors Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda, and Manchu Lakshmi. This is part of the probe into the online betting apps scam. The actors were told to appear before the Enforcement Directorate on different days between 23 July and 23 August.

According to ED sources privy to the case details, they confirmed that Rana Daggubati has been directed to appear on July 23, Prakash Raj on July 30, Vijay Deverakonda on August 6, and Manchu Lakshmi on August 13.

The case first came to light in March 2025, when Miyapur police registered an FIR following a petition by Phanindra Sarma, a resident of the area. Phanindra Sarma claimed that many celebrities used Instagram and Facebook to promote betting apps. This misled people into putting money into gambling schemes.

One complainant, Puli Kumar Reddy, reported losses of over 3 crore due to betting apps promoted through YouTube content. Complainants Phanindra Sarma and Vinay Vangala, along with others, said that celebrity endorsements sparked a lot of interest in gambling apps among local people. Several FIRs also allege that betting ads were presented as charitable initiatives or entertainment content, making them harder to identify as gambling promotions.

The FIR named several celebrities and influencers for allegedly promoting certain betting platforms. Actors Rana Daggubati and Prakash Raj were associated with Jungleerummy.com, while Vijay Deverakonda was linked to A23. Manchu Lakshmi was named in connection with Yolo247.com, and Nidhi Agarwal was linked to JeetWin.

Actress Pranitha Subhash was associated with Fairplay.live, and Ananya Nagella was linked to VIbook.co. Siri Hanumanthu reportedly promoted Taj77, while television anchor Sreemukhi was connected to Vvbbok.co. Varshini Sounderajan was linked with Dhanibook365, and Vasanthi Krishnan with Mama247.co.

The full list of those named in the ECIR includes actors and influencers across film, television, and social media. The list also includes Ananya Nagella, Siri Hanumanthu, Varshini Sounderajan, Vasanthi Krishnan, Shoba Shetty, Amrutha Chowdary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padhmavathi, Imran Khan, Vishnu Priya, Tasty Teja, Rithu Chowdhary, Bandaru Sheshayani Supritha, and others. Influencers named include Kiran Goud and social media personalities Ajay, Sunny, and Sudheer.