HYDERABAD: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) which conducted searches at eight locations here and in Andhra Pradesh against casino organizers and agents for violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) rules, officials said ended on Thursday.As per latest reports, he is alleged to be a hawala agent of a Chennai-based gold merchant.

The ED searches were carried out at the residences and other locations in Hyderabad of the casino organizers Chikoti Praveen and Madhav Reddy along with their associates and agents, for more than 18 hours, where the central agency looked at alleged hawala transactions. The searches were conducted at eight places under the provisions of the FEMA, an ED official said.

Chikoti Praveen allegedly organized casinos in Nepal in June this year and special flights were arranged for the gamers and the winners were reportedly paid through hawala transactions. Many Tollywood, and Bollywood actresses were invited to perform and promote these casinos. As shown in Chikoti Praveen’s social media account actresses Ameesha Patel, Nora Fatehi, Mallika Sherawat, Ganesh Acharya, and Meghna Naidu were seen promoting the gambling events.

It is reported that several documents, phones, and money were seized by the ED after the searches. Chikoti Praveen had organized casinos in Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Goa as well where several VIPs, Ministers, and MLAs were invited to his casinos. The ED suspects that Praveen's connection with many celebrities and customers could be more than 200 as per his call list.

The casino organizer would apparently charge different rates for each country where he would conduct these gambling events which include Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Nepal. He would take the customers to Nepal via Kolkata and charge lakhs of Rupees for flight tickets, hotel stay, food and drinks. It is alleged that Praveen collected Rs 5 lakhs as an entry fee from customers. His aide Madhav Reddy’s residence in Bowenpally was also searched by the ED.

Chikoti Praveen looked quite nonchalant about the raids and was seen smiling at his aides waiting near his residence.

Also Watch What Chikoti Praveen Had To Say About The ED Raids | Sakshi TV

When accosted by the media, Chikoti Praveen casually stated that the ED officials had conducted searches about the casinos' operations. He also stated that casinos were legal in our country Goa and also in Nepal and Indonesia. Praveen said that what he did was a legal business and that he was a common man. He said that the ED officials had some doubts and that's why they asked for an explanation. He also informed that the ED had sent notices to him and that he would attend the hearing on Monday and answer and give them all the details they want, rather confidently.

Also Read: Hyderabad: ED Raids In 8 Places Belonging To Casino Dealers For FEMA Violations