Lucknow: Almost a year after the Enforcement Directorate registered a case against Saudi Arabia-based YouTuber Anurag Dwivedi and seized property in his hometown of Unnao, claiming it was amassed through unlawful means, the social media influencer celebrated his 26th birthday on Sunday in style.Dwivedi asked his followers to visit select eateries in Unnao and Nawabganj, enjoy a meal in his name and leave the bill to him.Describing it as a birthday celebration, he thanked his followers for their support. The cricket content creator has more than seven million YouTube subscribers and 2.4 million Instagram followers.Dwivedi posted a video on social media from Saudi Arabia around 12.30 pm, announcing that anyone could walk into several eateries in Unnao and eat for free.His message was simple: “Eat in my name, I’ll pay the bill.”The announcement quickly drew crowds at some of the participating outlets in Unnao and Nawabganj, with people queuing up to avail themselves of the offer.He named a few food outlets where people could enjoy dosa, ‘chhole-bhature’, samosa or pizza.Beginning his video with religious slogans, Dwivedi said he had turned 26 and wanted to celebrate not only with people in Nawabganj and Unnao but with people across the country.He said that even travellers on the Lucknow-Kanpur highway could take advantage of the offer at participating outlets.Towards the end of the video, he said completing 26 years in ‘Kalyug’ was itself a major achievement. He thanked his followers, expressed his affection for them and signed off with ‘Love you’ and ‘Jai Mata Ki’. The video was shared by his relatives and friends on social media.A resident of Nawabganj, around 27 km from the Unnao district headquarters, Dwivedi has built a substantial social media following. His online content largely revolves around cricket and cricketers, and he has also been associated with the online fantasy sports and gaming ecosystem.He made headlines last year after marrying his Lucknow-based girlfriend aboard a cruise in Dubai on Nov 22, 2025.The ED’s money laundering case against Dwivedi stems from a 2022 online betting racket busted in Siliguri, West Bengal. Five alleged supervisors of a betting syndicate operating through Telegram channels and platforms such as Skyexchange were arrested, and investigators identified Badal Bhardwaj as the alleged mastermind.As investigators tracked the money trail, they found transactions linked to accounts held by Dwivedi’s relatives and associates, prompting the ED to initiate a money laundering probe.The agency alleges that proceeds from illegal betting apps were routed through mule accounts and hawala networks into companies and family accounts linked to Dwivedi without any legitimate business basis.The probe led to searches across Lucknow, Unnao, Delhi, Mumbai, Surat and Varanasi in late 2025 and early 2026. During the raids, the ED seized luxury vehicles, including a Lamborghini Urus, Mercedes, BMW Z4, Ford Endeavour and Mahindra Thar, recovered around Rs 20 lakh in cash, and froze bank deposits, insurance policies and other assets.Officials also claimed to have found evidence of hawala transactions and investments in Dubai real estate.ED froze or attached assets worth between Rs 20 crore and Rs 23.7 crore. A prosecution complaint has already been filed before the Special PMLA Court in Kolkata.
