Overview

• Panaji ED officials searched 15 locations across Goa, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Rajkot on September 28–29 targeting entities linked to Golden Globe Hotels, Worldwide Resorts and Big Daddy Casino.
• Officers seized Rs 2.25 crore in cash, USD 14,000 and other foreign currency worth about Rs 8.5 lakh, while freezing cryptocurrencies including USDT valued at over Rs 90 lakh.
• Investigators say poker chips were provided for foreign currency and winnings were paid in foreign currency, indicating FEMA violations tied to both physical casinos and online platforms.
• Records point to crypto wallets held by poker players, angadia routes for USDT transfers to Dubai and elsewhere, and mule bank accounts used to move gambling proceeds offshore.
• In a related FEMA action on September 26, ED searched Mapusa shop ‘Loja Shamu’, seizing about Rs 13 lakh in Indian currency and Rs 3 lakh in foreign currency, with chats indicating Rs 2–3 crore in unauthorised forex deals after an Airport Customs USD 35,000 alert.