Bengaluru’s Enforcement Directorate has escalated its battle against money laundering in the online gaming world, attaching 505 crore rupees in foreign bank balances tied to Winzo Private Limited. The funds sat in accounts of Winzo US Inc. (USA) and Winzo SG Private Limited (Singapore), puppets of the company’s founders Pawan Nanda and Soumya Singh Rathore.
Winzo’s model relied on deception: players battled invisible bots and AI, not fellow humans, without any warning. Coded as PPP/EP/Persona, these programs ensured house wins via rake commissions. Withdrawal blocks or delays kept users hooked, gradually converting deposits into illegal revenue.
Prior operations included searches at Winzo premises and directors’ homes on November 18, 2025, and the accounting firm on December 30, 2025. Probe documents show criminal earnings of 3,522.05 crore rupees from FY 2021-22 through mid-2025.
Cumulatively, ED has immobilized 689 crore in assets, with overseas transfers masked as investments—all orchestrated from Indian soil. Total seizures now exceed 1,194 crore rupees.
On January 23, 2026, ED lodged a PMLA complaint at Bengaluru’s Special Court (CCA-1), charging systemic user fraud and laundering via shells. Further probes target more players in this web.
As real-money gaming explodes in India, this bust raises alarms on ethical lapses and user safety. With lakhs hooked on apps like Winzo, regulators may tighten oversight to curb such predatory tactics and safeguard the industry’s growth.