Did not take any payment from betting app, Prakash Raj tells ED (Lead)

Hyderabad, July 30 (IANS) Actor Prakash Raj on Wednesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in the case relating to alleged promotion of illegal betting apps and told the officials that he did not receive any payment for an advertisement he had done in the past.

The ED officials questioned him for about five hours. He told media persons while leaving the regional office of the Enforcement Directorate that the officials took details about the advertisement he had done for a betting app in 2016.

“They asked me about the contract with the company and when and why I did it. As a department, they have done their job and as a citizen, I discharged my responsibility by coming here and explaining in detail that I did it then and after realising that it was a mistake, I didn’t do it,” he said.

Prakash Raj said he told the ED officials that he did not take any payment as his conscience did not allow him to take it. “They saw the accounts and recorded whatever I had to say,” he said.

The actor said the ED officials have not asked him to come again for questioning.

Prakash Raj reiterated that he did only one advertisement for a gaming app, but later realised that he should not have done it.

He urged the citizens not to get involved in betting and earn money through hard work.

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

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 and Manchu Lakshmi, and Ananya Nagella are among those who have been 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.

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.

--IANS

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