Sat Nov 16 07:16:23 UTC 2024: ## ED Seizes ₹8.8 Crore in Cash During Raids on ‘Lottery King’ Santiago Martin

**Chennai, [Date]:** The Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized ₹8.8 crore in cash during raids on Santiago Martin, a Chennai-based businessman dubbed the “Lottery King,” as part of a money laundering investigation, officials said on Friday. The raids, which began Thursday and continued into a second day across multiple states, targeted at least 20 locations linked to Martin and his associates in Chennai, Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), Faridabad (Haryana), Ludhiana (Punjab), and Kolkata (West Bengal).

Martin, a major donor to political parties, reportedly contributed over ₹1,300 crore through now-cancelled electoral bonds. The ED’s action follows a lower court’s decision to close a preliminary FIR against Martin, a decision subsequently overturned by the Madras High Court, allowing the federal agency to proceed with the investigation.

The cash seized, predominantly in ₹500 denominations, was found at Martin’s corporate office, the location of which officials declined to disclose. The ED’s investigation focuses on allegations of fraudulent and illegal lottery sales. Last year, the agency attached assets worth ₹457 crore from Martin, alleging he caused over ₹900 crore in losses to the Sikkim government through fraudulent sales of state lotteries in Kerala. This latest action represents a significant escalation in the ongoing investigation into Martin’s business empire.

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