The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Agartala Sub-Zonal Office, has provisionally attached movable and immovable properties worth approximately Rs 1.05 crore under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with an alleged illegal IPL and cricket betting syndicate operating in Tripura.

According to an official press release issued by the ED, the attachment was made through a Provisional Attachment Order dated July 31, 2026. The attached assets comprise nine immovable properties and bank balances held in the names of the accused persons and their family members.

The Enforcement Directorate initiated its investigation under the PMLA on the basis of an FIR registered by Amtali Police Station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the Tripura Gambling Act, 1926, against Prasenjit Paul and Laxman Paul.

The FIR followed a search conducted by Tripura Police on May 11, 2023, at the residence of Prasenjit Paul. During the operation, police allegedly recovered Rs 93 lakh in cash, along with a laptop, mobile phones, four debit cards, and 17 notebooks containing records of betting transactions.

According to the ED, the investigation revealed that Prasenjit Paul, in connivance with his maternal uncle Laxman Paul and other associates, operated an organised illegal betting syndicate involved in IPL and other cricket matches. Laxman Paul, who is a co-accused in the FIR, allegedly assisted Prasenjit Paul in conducting the betting operations and evading arrest.

The agency further stated that Laxman Paul and his wife, Smt. Jhuma Dey Paul, allegedly operated and controlled several bank accounts that recorded substantial cash deposits. The investigation also found that they accumulated multiple immovable properties worth crores of rupees without any disclosed or documented legitimate source of income.

This is the second Provisional Attachment Order issued by the ED in the case. The first attachment order, dated June 16, 2026, covered properties held in the names of Prasenjit Paul and his mother.

The properties attached under the latest order include nine agricultural and residential land parcels in West Tripura, as well as a property in Kolkata, West Bengal, which the ED alleges was purchased predominantly through cash payments. The attachment also includes bank balances standing in the names of Laxman Paul and Smt. Jhuma Dey Paul.

With the latest attachment, the total value of alleged proceeds of crime attached by the Enforcement Directorate in the case—including cash, immovable properties, and bank balances under both provisional attachment orders—has reached approximately Rs 2.43 crore.

The Enforcement Directorate said that further investigation into the case is underway.