The Enforcement Directorate has registered a money laundering case against 29 persons, including actors Prakash Raj, Rana Daggubati and Vijay Deverakonda, for allegedly promoting illegal online betting applications, The Hindu reported on Thursday.

An Enforcement Case Information Report was registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, following five first information reports filed by Telangana Police and Andhra Pradesh Police, the newspaper reported.

The persons accused in the matter are suspected to have received endorsement fees for allegedly promoting the betting applications.

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Online betting and gambling are illegal in India.

The persons accused in the matter also include actors Manchu Lakshmi, Praneetha and Nidhi Agarwal and television personalities Ananya Nagella, Siri Hanumanthu, Sreemukhi, Varshini Sounderajan, Vasanthi Krishnan, Shoba Shetty, Amrutha Chowdary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padhmavathi, Imran Khan, Vishnu Priya and Shyamala.

Digital creators named in the case include Harsha Sai, Bayya Sunny Yadav, Tastyteja, Rithu Chowdhary and Bandaru Sheshayani Supritha, and the YouTube channel Local Boy Nani.

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A police constable, Kiran Goud, posted at the Habeebnagar Police Station in Hyderabad has also been named, along with members of the management teams of the betting applications.

Those named in the Enforcement Case Information Report will be summoned for questioning, The Hindu reported.

Several of the persons accused in the case had earlier issued statements denying wrongdoing, maintaining that they terminated endorsement deals after learning of ethical and legal concerns.

Some of the promotions were allegedly disguised as entertainment or social service content, drawing public criticism and triggering complaints from persons who claimed to have suffered financial losses, according to the newspaper.

Also read: What drives the lucrative, murky world of online cricket betting in India?