A special court in Bengaluru has granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) five days’ custody of Gameskraft founder Vikas Taneja in connection with an alleged ₹1,000 crore money laundering and online gaming fraud case. The action follows the ED’s investigation into alleged manipulation of online real-money gaming platforms operated by the company.
Bengaluru Court Grants ED Custody
The Principal City Civil and Sessions Court in Bengaluru allowed the ED’s remand application and sent Vikas Taneja to custody till May 13, 2026. Taneja is associated with Gameskraft Technologies and RummyCulture Technologies as a director.
The Enforcement Directorate arrested Taneja under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of its ongoing probe into alleged fraudulent activities linked to online gaming operations.
The agency has also arrested Gameskraft co-founders Deepak Singh and Prithvi Raj Singh in the same case.
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ED Alleges Manipulation of Online Gaming Platforms
According to the ED, the investigation stems from FIRs registered in Telangana earlier this year alleging cheating and fraudulent gaming practices. The agency claims that platforms such as “RummyCulture” and “RummyTime” allegedly lured users through referral incentives, bonuses, and cash rewards before manipulating gameplay.
The ED further alleged that users faced duplicated cards, recurring score patterns, collusion among players, arbitrary blocking of IDs, and forced logouts despite company claims that gameplay was free from bots or algorithmic manipulation.
Investigators also alleged that the platforms continued to allow access to users from states where online real-money gaming restrictions were in force.
Probe Focuses on Alleged Bogus Expense Entries
One of the key allegations relates to nearly ₹100 crore shown as expenditure during financial years 2020-21 and 2021-22 under categories including “software maintenance” and “consultancy.”
The ED alleged that certain vendors returned the funds in cash after deducting commissions, GST, and TDS, and claimed that the transactions were used to conceal proceeds of crime.
According to the agency, Taneja knowingly participated in the concealment, possession, acquisition, and use of proceeds of crime under Section 3 of the PMLA.
Earlier ED Action Included Asset Freezing
The latest arrests follow earlier enforcement action in which the ED reportedly froze assets worth ₹18.57 crore linked to the case. Authorities have described the probe as part of a wider crackdown on alleged illegal financial practices in the online gaming sector.
Special Public Prosecutor Maheshwari DM appeared for the ED during the hearing, while Advocate V Sampreet represented Taneja before the court.
