Daijiworld Media Network - Agartala
Agartala, Aug 1: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached assets worth around Rs 1.05 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with an alleged illegal IPL and cricket betting syndicate operating from Tripura.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the ED's Agartala Sub Zonal Office said it issued a Provisional Attachment Order on July 31, 2026, attaching movable and immovable properties valued at approximately Rs 1.05 crore.
The attached assets include nine immovable properties and bank account balances held in the names of accused Laxman Paul and his wife, Jhuma Dey Paul.
The money laundering investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by Tripura Police at Amtali Police Station in West Tripura under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the Tripura Gambling Act, 1926, against Prasenjit Paul and Laxman Paul.
The FIR followed a search conducted by Tripura Police on May 11, 2023, at the residence of Prasenjit Paul, during which officials seized Rs 93 lakh in cash, a laptop, mobile phones, four debit cards and 17 notebooks containing records of betting transactions.
According to the ED, its investigation revealed that Prasenjit Paul, in connivance with his maternal uncle Laxman Paul and other associates, allegedly operated an organised illegal betting syndicate involving IPL and other cricket matches. Laxman Paul is also accused of assisting Prasenjit Paul in the betting operations and helping him evade arrest.
Further investigation found that Laxman Paul, along with his wife Jhuma Dey Paul, allegedly accumulated substantial cash deposits and acquired several immovable properties worth crores of rupees without any disclosed or legitimate source of income. The agency alleged that multiple bank accounts were operated in Jhuma Dey Paul's name under Laxman Paul's control.
The ED said this is the second Provisional Attachment Order in the case. An earlier order dated March 6, 2026, had attached properties held in the names of Prasenjit Paul and his mother.
The latest attachment covers nine immovable properties, including agricultural and residential land parcels in West Tripura and a property in Kolkata, West Bengal, allegedly purchased largely through cash payments, along with bank account balances standing in the names of Laxman Paul and Jhuma Dey Paul.
With the latest attachment, the total value of alleged proceeds of crime attached by the ED in the case, including cash, immovable properties and bank balances covered under the earlier attachment order dated March 16, 2026, has reached approximately Rs 2.43 crore.
Further investigation is in progress.