The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested three founders of the online gaming company Gameskraft Technologies in connection with an alleged fraud and money laundering case, marking a major development in the ongoing investigation into India’s real-money online gaming sector.
According to officials, the arrests were made on Friday under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The three founders taken into custody are Deepak Singh, Prithvi Raj Singh and Vikas Taneja.
Investigators said Deepak Singh and Prithvi Raj Singh were arrested from the Delhi-NCR region. After their detention, officials obtained a transit remand to present them before a court in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, Vikas Taneja was arrested in Bengaluru and produced before the jurisdictional court there.
The ED’s case against Gameskraft was registered after multiple FIRs were filed against the company alleging cheating and financial fraud. These complaints triggered a detailed financial probe to examine whether the company’s operations involved laundering of illegal funds through online gaming platforms.
Gameskraft operates several real-money gaming platforms that allow users to participate in skill-based card games with cash stakes. Among the platforms linked to the company are RummyCulture and RummyTime, which have a significant user base across India.
Officials involved in the investigation say some FIRs also refer to cases where individuals allegedly suffered severe financial losses while playing online games on these platforms. In a few complaints, investigators are also examining allegations that victims who lost money were driven to extreme distress, including suicide.
A day before the arrests, ED teams conducted extensive searches at 17 locations connected to the Gameskraft group. These raids took place across Karnataka and the Delhi-NCR region. During the operation, investigators reportedly seized several documents, electronic records, and other materials believed to be relevant to the case.
According to officials, the evidence collected during these searches strengthened the agency’s suspicion that proceeds of crime may have been generated through the company’s operations and subsequently routed through various financial channels.
The investigation into Gameskraft is not new. In November last year, the ED had already frozen eight bank accounts associated with the company. These accounts were escrow accounts used for payouts to players and were holding deposits worth approximately ₹18.57 crore at the time they were frozen.
Authorities are now examining financial transaction trails, company records, and digital data to determine the exact scale of the alleged money laundering activities. Investigators are also looking into whether the company or its executives violated financial and gaming regulations while running the platforms.
In an official statement, ED officials said that based on the material available during the investigation, the founders were found to be involved in offences related to money laundering. Acting under Section 19 of the PMLA, the agency proceeded with their arrest while continuing the investigation into other aspects of the case.
Officials have indicated that further questioning of the founders and analysis of seized documents could lead to additional revelations in the coming days. The probe is still underway, and authorities have not ruled out further action against other individuals or entities connected to the company.
The case has once again brought attention to the regulatory challenges surrounding India’s rapidly growing online gaming industry, particularly platforms that involve real-money transactions. Authorities across the country have increasingly been scrutinizing such platforms amid concerns over financial risks, fraud, and consumer protection.
For now, the three founders remain in custody as the Enforcement Directorate continues its investigation into what could become one of the more closely watched financial cases involving the online gaming sector.