Karnataka High Court ne GamesKraft par ED ki probe stay ki, band FIR ke basis par; agli hearing Feb 6

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AuthorIshaan Verma|Published at:
Karnataka High Court ne GamesKraft par ED ki probe stay ki, band FIR ke basis par; agli hearing Feb 6
Overview

Karnataka High Court ne real money gaming startup GamesKraft par Enforcement Directorate (ED) ki money laundering investigation stay kar di hai, jo band ho chuki FIR par adharit hai. Court ne kaha ki valid predicate offense ke bina aage ki karwai bekar hai. ED agli hearing Feb 6 ko company ke khilaf 6 anya pending FIRs ki details pesh karegi.

Karnataka High Court ne Enforcement Directorate (ED) ki real money gaming startup GamesKraft se judi money laundering investigation par interim stay laga di hai. Yeh company dwara file ki gayi plea par hua, jisme investigation ko quash karne ki maang ki gayi thi. Court ka 22 January, 2026 ka yeh faisla is argument par adharit tha ki ED ka Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) ek aise First Information Report (FIR) par adharit tha jise jurisdiction police ne sabooton ki kami ke karan pehle hi band kar diya tha. Court ne note kiya ki agar predicate offense band ho gaya hai, toh ECIR ka adhar hi khatm ho gaya hai, jisse aage ki karwai sambhav nahi hai.

Halaanki ED ne GamesKraft dwara mention ki gayi specific FIR ke band hone ki baat swikar ki, agency ka kehna hai ki company se judi chh (6) anya FIRs abhi active investigation mein hain. ED ka pratinidhitva karne wale Additional Solicitor General ne argue kiya ki yeh pending FIRs chal rahe ECIR ka adhar ban sakti hain. Court ne ED ko in anya pending cases ke adhar par apni details file karne ki anumati di hai. Mamla agli hearing ke liye 6 February, 2026 ko set kiya gaya hai, jahan ED se ummeed hai ki woh in additional offenses ke adhar par investigation ko barkarar rakhne ke liye apna case pesh karegi.

Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) ke tehat ED ki investigation, GamesKraft aur uski parent entity, Nirdesa Networks, jo online poker platform Pocket52 operate karti hai, se judi cheating aur money laundering ke aaropon par kendrit hai. November 2025 mein, ED ne Bengaluru aur Gurugram mein dono entities se jude offices aur residences par searches ki thi. Is dauran electronic devices aur company data seize kiya gaya tha. Agency ne suspected proceeds of crime ke roop mein lagbhag ₹18.57 crore wale aath (8) escrow accounts ko freeze karne ki report di, iske alawa doosre escrow accounts mein ₹30 crore se zyada bhi jamana the. Yeh probe Pocket52 platform par bade fraud ke aaropon wali ek FIR ke baad shuru ki gayi thi, jisme manipulated game outcomes aur withdrawal restrictions shamil hain, aur ek complainant ne ₹3 crore se zyada ka nuksan hone ka dawa kiya hai.

Yeh legal development desh bhar mein real money gaming (RMG) par 22 August, 2025 ko lagu kiye gaye Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 ke backdrop mein ho raha hai. Is Act ke lagu hone se industry-wide restructuring aur badi sankhya mein layoffs hue hain. GamesKraft ne bhi organizational restructuring ke hisse ke taur par 400 se zyada employees ko nikal diya tha, jiska karan Act ke baad badla hua operating environment tha. Company internal governance issues ko bhi handle kar rahi hai, jisme uske former CFO, Ramesh Prabhu, par lagbhag ₹270.43 crore ko personal trading ke liye siphon karne ke aarop shamil hain. In aaropon ko lekar September 2025 mein ek FIR darj ki gayi thi, jiske karan GamesKraft ke financial statements mein lagbhag ₹270 crore ka write-off hua.

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