A SESSIONS COURT in Bengaluru has granted bail to Paavan Nanda, co-founder of online gaming platform Winzo Games Pvt Ltd, in a money-laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The order, passed on Monday, brings relief to Nanda, who had been in judicial custody since December 2025 after his earlier bail application was rejected. His co-founder, Saumya Singh Rathore, had secured bail in the same case at an earlier stage.
While allowing the bail plea, the court imposed several conditions on Nanda’s release. He has been directed to furnish a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh along with two sureties of Rs 2 lakh each. The court has also ordered him to surrender his passport, cooperate with investigators as and when required, and refrain from influencing witnesses or engaging in any similar alleged activities. His release will be effected once all bail conditions are complied with.
The case originates from multiple predicate offences cited in FIRs registered in Bengaluru, Rajasthan and Delhi. The ED has alleged that Winzo’s gaming platform engaged in financial irregularities, including the use of algorithmic manipulation and automated bots to allegedly influence game outcomes, resulting in unlawful proceeds estimated at approximately Rs 177 crore.
The agency has further claimed that funds were channelled to overseas subsidiaries through complex financial arrangements and subsequently laundered via cloud infrastructure hosted on Amazon Web Services. Investigators have also flagged the alleged misuse of user identities and highlighted cross-border fund transfers totalling nearly USD 55 million as part of the probe.
In December last year, while granting bail to Rathore, the court had declined to extend similar relief to Nanda. With the latest ruling, both Winzo co-founders are now out on bail as the investigation continues. The court’s detailed written order is awaited.
During the proceedings, Nanda denied the allegations made by the ED, asserting that Winzo’s operations were conducted in accordance with applicable laws. He also assured full cooperation with the ongoing investigation and questioned the legality of the agency’s search and seizure actions.
