Did Prakash Raj Receive Payment from the Betting App? He Tells ED

Hyderabad, July 30 (NationPress) Actor Prakash Raj appeared before the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday regarding an inquiry into the alleged promotion of illegal betting applications. He stated to the officials that he had not received any payment for a past advertisement he participated in.

The ED officials interrogated him for approximately five hours. Upon leaving the ED's regional office, he informed reporters that they sought clarification about the advertisement he made for a betting app back in 2016.

“They inquired about the terms of the contract with the company, as well as the timing and reasoning behind my participation. As an agency, they performed their duties, and as a responsible citizen, I fulfilled my obligation by coming in and elaborating that I did it initially but later recognized it was a mistake, so I refrained from doing so again,” he explained.

Prakash Raj emphasized to the ED that he did not accept any payments, as his conscience forbade him from doing so. “They reviewed the accounts and documented everything I had to say,” he remarked.

The actor mentioned that the ED has not summoned him for further questioning.

He reiterated that he only did one advertisement for a gaming app but later understood it was inappropriate.

He urged the public to avoid involvement in betting and to earn money through diligent efforts.

Recently, the ED summoned actors Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda, and Manchu Lakshmi in relation to this case.

Rana Daggubati was instructed to appear on July 23 but requested a different date.

The ED has scheduled Vijay Deverakonda to appear on August 6, while Manchu Lakshmi is expected on August 13.

These four actors are among 29 celebrities implicated by the ED on July 10 for allegedly endorsing illegal betting platforms.

The agency has initiated an ECIR against 29 actors, influencers, and YouTubers for purportedly promoting illegal gambling sites, in violation of the Public Gambling Act, 1867.

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

Actors Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Nidhi Agarwal, Pranitha Subhash, and Manchu Lakshmi, along with Ananya Nagella, are among those named in the ED's inquiry.

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

Many of these celebrities were previously charged by the Hyderabad and Cyberabad Police. FIRs were filed against them at various police stations, including Panjagutta, Miyapur, Cyberabad, Suryapet, and Visakhapatnam.

Following the actions taken by the Cyberabad Police in March, Prakash Raj stated that he did not renew a contract to endorse an app in 2017 after realizing it was a poor decision.