In a significant development within India’s gaming and financial sector, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen assets worth approximately ₹192 crore linked to WinZO, a popular real-money gaming (RMG) platform. The action, carried out by the ED’s Bengaluru Zonal Office, is part of a widening money laundering probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

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The recent operation targeted the office premises of an accounting firm associated with WinZO Pvt. Ltd. on December 30, 2025. During the searches, investigators identified and froze “Proceeds of Crime” (PoC) belonging to ZO Games Pvt. Ltd., a wholly owned Indian subsidiary of WinZO.

The frozen assets, totaling ₹192 crore, include:

• Bank Balances
• Fixed Deposit Receipts (FDRs)
• Mutual Fund Investments

This move follows earlier actions in November 2025, where the ED froze roughly ₹505 crore in similar assets. To date, the total “Proceeds of Crime” identified in this case have surged to approximately ₹802 crore.

A critical aspect of the SEO-relevant news is the alleged diversion of Indian funds to foreign jurisdictions. The ED claims that approximately $54 million (roughly ₹485 crore) was siphoned off to the United States and Singapore under the guise of overseas investments.

Investigators flagged “WINZO US Inc.” as a shell company, asserting that while the entity exists on paper in the U.S., its daily operations and bank accounts are entirely controlled from India. This discovery has intensified the scrutiny on how RMG platforms manage cross-border capital flows.

The crackdown on WinZO is part of a broader regulatory tightening in India. Following the enactment of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, which effectively banned real-money games, several platforms have come under the scanner.

The arrest of WinZO founders Paavan Nanda and Saumya Singh Rathore in November 2025 sent shockwaves through the startup ecosystem. While Rathore was recently granted bail by a Bengaluru court, Nanda remains in custody as the probe continues.

The ₹192 crore asset freeze marks a pivotal moment in the Enforcement Directorate’s battle against financial irregularities in the online gaming sector. As the investigation into the ₹802 crore money laundering case progresses, the industry faces an uphill battle to regain user trust and navigate an increasingly complex legal landscape.