Lavish Udaipur wedding linked to Rapido driver’s account | ED unravels suspicious money trail

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has uncovered a startling financial trail connecting a Rapido bike driver’s bank account to a luxury wedding hosted at Udaipur’s Taj Aravalli Resort, raising fresh concerns over the use of mule accounts in organised crime transactions.

According to investigators, the wedding — associated with Gujarat youth political leader Aditya Zula and held in November last year — was partly funded through more than ₹1 crore routed from the driver’s account. The man, officials stress, had no known connection to the couple or their families.

The probe originated from the agency’s investigation into the 1xBet illegal betting network, during which officers discovered that the driver’s account had received ₹331.36 crore in deposits between August 2024 and April 2025. Funds would enter the account and be transferred out rapidly to a series of unidentified destinations, a pattern typical of mule operations.

One of the outgoing trails, the ED said, links directly to accounts associated with online betting entities. The agency is now mapping out additional nodes in what it believes is a larger laundering chain involving multiple fronts and beneficiaries.

Officials say the use of a third-party bank account appears designed to obscure the origin of funds and prevent regulatory red flags. The sheer volume of deposits routed through an individual with modest means has shocked investigators, who warn that ordinary citizens are increasingly being exploited to mask illicit financial flows.

A senior ED official noted that many people unwittingly surrender access to their bank accounts in exchange for small payments, later finding themselves entangled in criminal investigations when those accounts are used to channel illegal proceeds.

The case underscores a disturbing trend: mule accounts being used to bankroll high-end weddings, events, and personal expenditures, turning uninvolved individuals into the public face of fraud and money laundering.

ED’s public advisory:
• Do not share bank account details, cards, UPI IDs, or net-banking access.
• Avoid signing cheques or financial papers for unfamiliar people.
• Report unexplained credits, debits, or suspicious activity immediately.
• Reject offers to “rent out” your financial identity.
• Check mobile numbers issued in your name on tafcop.sancharsaathi.gov.in and disable unused ones.