Explained Mahadev betting App Case | ED is unraveling the strings of betting app, Bollywood is getting into trouble? What is the connection between the two?

The investigation into the Mahadev betting app case is in full swing. Bollywood is the center of investigation in the case. Many celebs including Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Huma Qureshi, Kapil Sharma have been asked to join the investigation. Apart from this, the marriage of the operator of Mahadev betting app is also in the news. The app owner had spent more than Rs 200 crore on his wedding. Many big celebrities of Bollywood attended this wedding. Apart from this, many Bollywood celebrities have promoted this app a lot.

Ranbir Kapoor, Huma Qureshi, Kapil Sharma, Hina Khan, Shraddha Kapoor are not the actors of any new Bollywood film, but are the names of those celebs who have been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Mahadev betting app case. Ranbir has been called to the ED office in Raipur today (6 October). Even Shraddha is expected to appear before the ED on Friday. Earlier it was reported that the Kapoor family had sought two weeks’ time before appearing before the agency. However, there is no clarification whether the authorities have accepted his request or not. As the matter continues to escalate, more celebs are coming under investigation. Officials are considering summoning more people from B-Town. We’re taking a closer look at what the Mahadev betting app case is all about and how celebs are linked to it.

Mahadev betting app scam

Before we look at Bollywood’s connection with this matter, let us understand what the matter is. According to the investigating officers, the gaming app named Mahadev Online Book provides a platform for poker, card games, chance games and illegal betting games like cricket, tennis and football. People can also bet on elections in the country. It also allows people to play games like Teen Patti, Poker, Dragon Tiger and Virtual Cricket.

Mahadev Online Book provides a platform for poker, card games, chance games and illegal betting games like cricket, tennis and football. According to an NDTV report, app operators, called panel owners, earn a profit of Rs 200 crore. They advertise the contact number of Mahadev Online Book on the websites, and lure people to play games to earn profits. Once people click on the ad, they are requested to contact specific WhatsApp numbers. An ED source said once a user contacts this number, he will be provided with two different numbers. The user ID used to place a bet is to deposit money and collect points. The second is to contact the website to redeem the points accumulated in the specified ID.

Who is behind this entire master plan?

These IDs are created “based on the need and preferences of the bettors” on various platforms such as Ledger247.com, Ledgerbook247.com, Betbhai.com, Betbook247.com, Tigerxch247.com, and Cricketbet9.com.

Panel owners collect funds, create user IDs, distribute ID credentials, and distribute earned funds. Players have to deposit money into anonymous accounts which are shared online after which they are assigned to the panel by the head office, which is located in Dubai. Payments are also made from benami accounts, which are opened fraudulently. All games are reportedly fixed so that owners do not suffer losses. Officials found in their investigation that while users made initial profits, they started incurring huge losses in the long run. ED officials have said that Saurabh Chandrakar, 28, and Ravi Uppal, 43, are the main promoters of Mahadev Online Book. Both hailing from Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, live in Dubai from where they reportedly operate the platform.

Betting app kingpin’s marriage catches ED’s attention

Saurabh Chandrakar’s marriage in February caught the attention of ED. The betting app kingpin reportedly spent Rs 200 crore on his wedding, of which Rs 100 crore was spent in cash. It is reported that Chandrakar’s Rs 200 crore wedding had attracted the attention of the ED in February. The betting app promoter held a wedding in Ras Al-Khaimah and spared no expense for the event. He hired a Mumbai-based events company to organize this extravagant event and even flew his family members in a private jet. Apart from this, celebrities like Tiger Shroff, Sunny Leone, Bhagyashree, Vishal Dadlani, Atif Aslam, Neha Kakkar, Ali Asgar, Bharti Singh, Bhagyashree, Pulkit Samrat, Elli Avram and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan were invited to the event.

ED says that of the Rs 200 crore spent, Rs 100 crore went to the Malad-based company and it was all paid in cash, which is how they were alerted about it. “In February 2023, Saurabh Chandrakar got married in RAK, UAE and the promoters of Mahadev App spent approximately Rs 200 crore in cash for this marriage ceremony,” the ED had said in its September 15 statement. The agency said private jets were hired to fly the family members from Nagpur to the UAE. Celebrities were hired to perform at the wedding. Wedding planners, dancers, decorators etc. were hired from Mumbai and hawala channels were used to make cash payments.

How Bollywood stars are getting entangled in the Mahadev betting app case?

ED has sent summons to actor Ranbir Kapoor in the Mahadev betting app case. He reportedly endorsed the app. ED officials have said that Ranbir had endorsed the betting platform and was allegedly paid for it from the money collected through the scam. According to reports, the Brahmastra actor is said to be one of the highest paid celebs who were paid by the app promoters. He has even been featured in social media advertisements and Mahadev app advertisements. On Thursday (October 6), officials expanded the scope of their investigation and summoned Kapil Sharma and Huma Qureshi and Hina Khan separately to provide information about the manner and flow of payments allegedly made to them by the app’s promoters. Called on dates. ED has also summoned actresses Huma Qureshi, Kapil Sharma and Hina Khan in the case. They have been called on different days to give information about their participation in the app. Ranbir’s co-actress in Tu Jhoothi ​​Main Makkar, Shraddha Kapoor, has also been asked to appear before ED officials after allegedly promoting the app. Officials believe that he too was paid through benami and hawala channels.

Apart from these celebs, the ED is also eyeing 14 others among them along with 100 other influential people who attended Chandrakar’s wedding in February. ED has clarified that celebs are not being called as accused in this case, but are being called to understand how the app worked and earned crores of rupees and invested the money through illegal means. Officials have so far conducted searches at 39 locations in Raipur, Bhopal, Mumbai and Kolkata and seized illegal assets worth Rs 417 crore. It remains to be seen what the celebrities tell authorities about the app, but the investigation so far makes it clear that the scale of the operation is pan-India. As an ED source told The Print, the scale is huge. We are still not able to identify how much money has been earned and squandered till now.