The Telangana Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against 25 actors and influencers, including Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Devarakonda, and Lakshmi Manchu, for allegedly promoting illegal betting apps.
The FIR was registered at the Miyapur Police Station in Hyderabad on March 19, based on a petition filed by Phanindra Sarma, a 32-year-old businessman.
According to the details, the FIR also named actors Pranitha Subhash, Ananya Nagalla, Siri Hanumanth, Sreemukhi, and Varshini Sounderajan among others.
The complainant alleged that during a conversation with youth in his community on March 16, he discovered many individuals had been influenced to invest their money in gambling apps, which were heavily advertised by social media personalities.
He further mentioned these celebrities were allegedly accepting large sums of money to promote various betting platforms, which encourage users to gamble their hard-earned money.
Sarma, in the complaint, mentioned he too was on the verge of investing in one of these platforms but refrained after his family warned him about the potential financial dangers.The complainant alleged that such apps and platforms were causing widespread financial harm, particularly among lower and middle-class families who are being lured into the false promise of easy money.
Based on the complaint, a case against the actors and influencers has been filed under multiple sections of the TS Gaming Act and the IT Act, including Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, which deals with cheating and identity theft.
The FIR also includes sections that address the promotion of illegal betting activities.
