Hyderabad, July 30 (IANS) Actor Prakash Raj on Wednesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the case relating to alleged promotion of illegal betting apps.

Prakash Raj reached the regional office of the Enforcement Directorate at Basheerbagh here around 10 a.m.

After Cyberabad Police booked him and other actors in March, Prakash Raj had said he did not renew a contract to promote an app in 2017 after realising that he should not have done it.

The ED has recently summoned actors Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda, and Manchu Lakshmi in the case.

Actor Rana Daggubati was directed to appear on July 23, but he sought an alternate date.

The ED has asked Vijaya Deverakonda to appear on August 6, while Manchu Lakshmi has been directed to appear on August 13.

The four actors were among 29 celebrities booked by the ED on July 10 for allegedly endorsing illegal betting apps.

The agency filed an ECIR against 29 actors, influencers, and YouTubers for allegedly promoting illegal betting platforms, in violation of the Public Gambling Act, 1867.

The probe, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, is based on five FIRs filed in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Film actors Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Nidhi Agarwal, Pranitha Subhash, Manchu Lakshmi and Ananya Nagella are among those booked by the ED.

The names of TV actors, TV hosts and social media influencers, like Sreemukhi, Shyamala, Varshini Sounderajan, Vasanthi Krishnan, Shoba Shetty, Amrutha Chowdary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padhmavathi, Harsha Sai and Bayya Sunny Yadav also figure in the list.

Most of these celebrities were earlier booked by the Hyderabad and Cyberabad Police. FIRs were registered against them at Panjagutta, Miyapur, Cyberabad, Suryapet, and Visakhapatnam police stations.

The ED suspects endorsements of platforms like Junglee Rummy, A23, JeetWin, Parimatch, Lotus365, and others involved laundering of large sums through paid promotions.

When some of the actors were booked by the Hyderabad and Cyberabad Police, they denied wrongdoing, claiming they ended contracts over ethical concerns.

–IANS

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