Hyderabad, Telangana (India), March 20 : Telangana police have filed a First Information Report (FIR) against 25 prominent celebrities and social media influencers, including Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda, and Manchu Lakshmi, for allegedly promoting illegal betting and gambling apps. The FIR, filed at the Miyapur Police Station in Hyderabad, follows a complaint filed by businessman PM Phanindra Sarma on March 19.
The complaint points out a growing trend where celebrities and influencers are allegedly using their social media platforms to promote gambling apps that violate the Public Gambling Act of 1867. Sarma claims that during a conversation with local youth on March 16, he learned that many had been influenced by these advertisements to invest money in illegal gambling apps.
According to the complaint, the celebrities involved are reportedly accepting large sums of money to endorse these betting platforms, which encourage users to gamble their hard-earned money. Sarma himself almost fell victim to one such platform but refrained after his family warned him about the potential financial risks.
The FIR lists several other celebrities and influencers, such as Praneetha, Nidhi Agarwal, Ananya Nagella, Siri Hanumanthu, Sreemukhi, and Varshini Sounderajan, among others, as being involved in the promotion of these apps. The petition highlights that these platforms have caused significant financial damage, especially to lower and middle-class families who have been lured into the false promise of easy money.
The accused have been charged under various sections of the Telangana Gaming Act and the IT Act, including Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, which deals with cheating and identity theft. The police are also investigating the promotion of illegal betting activities, and the case is being handled by Officer G Ramesh Naidu.
K Kranthi Kumar, the Inspector of Police at Miyapur, emphasized the importance of the investigation, stating, “This investigation underscores our commitment to protecting the public from harmful gambling and betting platforms that exploit individuals for financial gain.”