The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet in a Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Winzo, a company involved in hosting Real Money Games (RMG) through its mobile app. The chargesheet names Winzo Pvt. Ltd. as the main accused, along with its directors Paavan Nanda and Saumya Singh Rathore, and its subsidiaries Winzo US Inc, Winzo SG Pte Ltd, and ZO Pvt. Ltd. The ED’s investigation was initiated based on FIRs filed by police stations in Bengaluru, Rajasthan, New Delhi, and Gurugram for cheating offenses.
The ED’s chargesheet follows search and seizure operations conducted at Winzo’s office, its director’s residence, and its accounting firm’s office in November and December 2025. These operations led to the seizure of incriminating documents, electronic records, and freezing of assets worth Rs 690 crore, including bank balances, payment gateway balances, mutual funds, bonds, fixed deposits, and cryptocurrency wallets. Winzo, known for offering over 100 RMG on its mobile app, claimed to have a user base of around 25 crore, primarily from Tier-3 and Tier-4 cities.
The investigation uncovered that Winzo’s RMGs were manipulated, with analysis revealing the use of BOTs/AI/algorithmprofiles in games until December 2023. From May 2024 to August 2025, the company altered its BOT operations to simulate historical match-play data of inactive players against real users without their consent. To mask these actions, Winzo used misleading terms like EP (Engagement Play), PPP (Past Performance of Player), and Persona.
