The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Bengaluru Zonal Workplace, has frozen property value round Rs 192 crore belonging to Zo Video games Pvt Ltd, an entirely owned Indian subsidiary of WinZO Pvt Ltd, following search operations carried out underneath the Prevention of Cash-Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

In an announcement, the ED mentioned the property have been categorised as Proceeds of Crime (POC) and frozen within the type of financial institution balances, mounted deposits and mutual funds underneath Part 17(1A) of the PMLA. The motion adopted a search carried out on December 30, 2025, on the premises of the accounting agency linked to WinZO Pvt Ltd, which operates a web-based actual cash gaming platform via its WinZO app.

The company mentioned the newest searches construct on earlier search and seizure operations carried out on November 18, 2025, on the firm’s workplaces and on the residential premises of one among its administrators. Primarily based on proof gathered through the searches and subsequent investigation, the ED alleged that WinZO was engaged in misleading and illegal gaming practices.

In accordance with the company, customers on the WinZO platform have been made to play actual cash video games in opposition to bots, AI techniques, or algorithm-driven personas, referred to internally as PPP, EP or Persona, with out being knowledgeable that they weren’t enjoying in opposition to human opponents. The ED additionally alleged that the corporate restricted or prevented withdrawals of consumer funds held in buyer wallets.

The investigation additional discovered that WinZO generated Proceeds of Crime within the type of “rake fee” earned from matches wherein bots performed in opposition to actual customers. The ED mentioned the corporate earned winnings of round Rs 177 crore from such actions between Could 2024 and August 2025, and roughly Rs 557 crore between April 2022 and December 2023.

As well as, consumer funds amounting to about Rs 43 crore have been allegedly retained by the platform even after restrictions and bans on actual cash gaming have been imposed by the Union authorities.

Thus far, the ED has recognized complete Proceeds of Crime of round Rs 802 crore within the case.

The company additionally flagged abroad fund actions, stating {that a} portion of the alleged proceeds was routed out of India to the US and Singapore underneath the guise of abroad investments. Funds value $54 million have been discovered parked in a US checking account held within the identify of WINZO US Inc. The ED described this entity as a shell firm, noting that its operations and day-to-day banking actions have been managed from India.

Earlier in November 2025, the ED arrested WinZO co-founders Paavan Nanda and Saumya Singh Rathore following search operations. These actions had led to the freezing of property value over Rs 505 crore, together with financial institution balances, mounted deposits, mutual funds and different monetary devices linked to the corporate and associated entities.

The case relies on a number of FIRs and a whole lot of consumer complaints alleging manipulation of gameplay, misuse of buyer information, non-refund of consumer funds, and continuation of actual cash gaming actions regardless of regulatory restrictions.

The WinZO probe types a part of a broader enforcement push in 2025. In the course of the yr, the ED initiated motion in opposition to a number of startup-origin corporations, together with Dream11, Gameskraft, Probo, Paytm, Myntra, Simpl and OctaFX, underneath cash laundering, FEMA and international exchange-related investigations. Additional investigation within the WinZO case is ongoing.