25 hotel rooms, Bollywood actor, Queen Elizabeth-2 cruise: How YouTuber Anurag Dwivedi’s Dubai wedding came under ED scanner | Lucknow News
LUCKNOW: A lavish destination wedding hosted by Unnao based YouTuber Anurag Dwivedi -who is under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate for alleged money-laundering- has drawn intense public and official scrutiny after details emerged of crores being spent on luxury celebrations in Dubai. This comes as the ED intensifies the probe into his finances. Dwivedi married Tamanna in Nov 2025 aboard the Queen Elizabeth-2 cruise in Dubai, following a 12-year relationship.To mark the occasion, he flew more than 130 guests — many travelling abroad for the first time — on five separate flights, bearing the full cost of air travel, visas, accommodation, meals, and sightseeing. Wedding festivities included haldi and mehendi ceremonies, culminating in the main wedding on the cruise’s open deck. He also got passports issued to the guests who didn’t have one.
Guests were given luxury space in over 25 hotel rooms
The guests were given luxury accommodation across more than 25 hotel rooms, dedicated transport, and sightseeing tours to landmarks such as the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Creek. According to attendees, spending averaged around Rs 90,000 to Rs 1 lakh per guest only on travel and lodging.With cruise bookings, décor, logistics, and celebrity performances added, the overall wedding budget is estimated to have run into several crores. Adding to the high-profile nature of the event were live performances by a prominent Bollywood playback singer and actor.The spectacle has come under the scanner amid an ED investigation alleging Dwivedi’s links to illegal betting apps, hawala transactions, and overseas investments. The agency has conducted searches at multiple locations in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, frozen bank accounts, seized cash, and impounded luxury vehicles, including a Lamborghini and a Merc from his Unnao home. Sources say assets — movable and immovable — linked to Dwivedi are estimated at around Rs 20 crore.Investigators allege that Dwivedi used his popularity as a fantasy cricket influencer to promote illegal betting platforms, laundering proceeds through a web of firms, family members, mule accounts, and hawala channels. The ED has frozen bank balances, fixed deposits, and insurance policies worth about Rs 3 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and claims documents point to real estate investments in Dubai made via illicit routes. The case traces back to a 2022 FIR by West Bengal Police following a raid in Siliguri that uncovered an organised betting operation linked to online platforms used during major cricket tournaments.Subsequent fund-trail analysis allegedly led investigators to accounts connected to Dwivedi and his associates. According to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Dwivedi is linked to multiple firms, including Fantwear Fashion, RP Greens India, DSD Sports and Media, and Bhumideva Projects.On social media, where he has over 2.3 million followers, Dwivedi has projected himself as the “face of fantasy cricket,” often emphasising his middle-class roots. However, investigators say his lifestyle — luxury cars, overseas properties, and a cruise wedding — belies those claims.The ED’s Kolkata Zonal Office, has carried out extensive search operations at 10 premises in Lucknow, Unnao, and Delhi linked to the YouTuber and social media influencer Anurag Dwivedi in connection with an illegal online betting and gambling case. The agency recovered incriminating documents, digital devices, and around Rs 20 lakh in cash.According to the ED, the scrutiny of the seized documents revealed that Dwivedi made real estate investments in Dubai through hawala channels.The investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the West Bengal Police, which pertained to the operation of an illegal online betting racket. During the probe, it emerged that accused Sonu Kumar Thakur and Vishal Bhardwaj were running an online betting panel from Siliguri, using mule bank accounts, Telegram channels, and other digital platforms to conduct online betting and gambling activities.The ED’s investigation further revealed that Anurag Dwivedi played a significant role in promoting illegal online betting platforms. The agency alleges that he received proceeds of crime generated from illegal betting apps through multiple hawala channels and mule accounts. According to the ED, after generating income from the promotion and facilitation of illegal betting websites, Dwivedi left India and is currently residing in Dubai. He has been issued multiple summons in the case but has failed to appear before the agency so far.
