Sat Nov 16 07:36:32 IST 2024: ## ED Seizes ₹8.8 Crore in Cash from ‘Lottery King’ Santiago Martin

**Chennai, November 16, 2024** – The Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized ₹8.8 crore in cash from the corporate office of Santiago Martin, a Chennai-based businessman known as the “lottery king,” during a two-day search operation concluding Friday. The raid is part of a money-laundering investigation stemming from multiple police FIRs alleging lottery fraud and illegal lottery sales.

The cash, largely in ₹500 denominations, was seized as part of a wider operation targeting at least 20 premises linked to Martin and his associates across Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab, and West Bengal. The searches follow a Madras High Court ruling allowing the ED to proceed with its investigation after Tamil Nadu Police attempted to close the initial case.

Martin previously drew attention for his company, Future Gaming Solutions India Pvt. Ltd., being the largest purchaser of now-scrapped electoral bonds, totaling over ₹1,300 crore between 2019 and 2024. The ED had previously attached assets worth ₹457 crore linked to Martin in a case involving alleged fraudulent sales of Sikkim lottery tickets, resulting in over ₹900 crore in losses for the Sikkim government. The agency has been investigating Martin since 2019. His other companies, Martin Builders Pvt. Ltd. and Daison Land and Development Pvt. Ltd., are also under scrutiny. The ED previously stated these firms acquired ₹19.59 crore worth of immovable properties using loans and advances from Martin and his family.

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