The Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor on October 6 as part of its probe into the Mahadev app case. Several high-profile Bollywood celebrities are being investigated by the ED in connection with the case.
The ED has summoned Kapoor to the agency's Raipur headquarters on October 6, according to officials.
Why was Ranbir Kapoor summoned by the ED?
According to the ED investigation, Kapoor was paid by the promoters of the Mahadev application in exchange for endorsing their gaming platform. The money given to Kapoor was supposedly the profits of crime. The actor also appeared in platform advertising and social media promos.
Kapoor allegedly accepted money from the app's promoters in exchange for playing at one of the promoters' wedding.
What exactly is the Mahadev App? Who are its proprietors?
Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal's organization allegedly provides internet venues for suspected illicit betting in various live games such as cricket, tennis, badminton, poker, and card games. These have been in operation for four years.
The promoters of the company are from Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, and the Mahadev online book betting application is an umbrella syndicate that arranges online platforms for facilitating illicit betting websites.
The internet program allegedly enlisted new users and laundered money via a tiered web of Benami bank accounts. The games, lotteries, and betting possibilities were allegedly all rigged so that the 'players' always lost money while the company profited.
The scandal allegedly netted Chandrakar's company roughly Rs 5,000 crore.
According to Enforcement Directorate sources, the owners of the Mahadev online betting app are suspected of having links in Pakistan aside from association with local businessmen and hawala operations.
What Does the ED Investigation Reveal?
An probe into Sourabh Chandrakar, 28, was spurred by his expensive Rs 250-crore wedding in the UAE, which led to the discovery of data of alleged hawala operations and their connections in the UAE and Pakistan.
The ED has joined at least seven FIRs lodged by scam victims who lost money. FIRs were lodged in Goa, Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad, and Chhattisgarh, among other places.
Around eight big international hawala operators are being investigated for using a similar platform to launder money to Middle Eastern countries and Pakistan. At least 70 shell companies were allegedly used by Chandrakar and his associates to launder money to offshore accounts.
The anti-money laundering agency is now considering alternatives to seek international cooperation in taking legal action against the app's proprietor, who is now in the UAE.
Why Are Bollywood Celebrities in the News?
Several Bollywood celebs were arrested after attending or performing at Chandrakar's wedding in February this year and the company's victory party in September last year.
"The celebrities accepted a large sum of money as payment for attending or performing at the wedding." The money is the proceeds of crime, and the celebrities are responsible for taking it. "There are over a dozen celebrities who attended the wedding and can be seen in the videos," a senior source in the ED previously told CNN-News18.
The ED has already raided various properties associated with hawala operations throughout India, seizing Rs 417 crore. The ED also tracked down seven hawala kingpins who allegedly laundered the money during a recent search in Mumbai. "Each hawala operator handled more than 500 dummy accounts to launder money," a CNN-News 18 source revealed.
Mahadev App's Mode of Operation
The UAE-based app platform has call centers that are routed through the Netherlands, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the UAE. Customers that call this center are asked to share information on a WhatsApp number. The information is subsequently shared with panel operators in India, who predominantly operate in Mumbai and Delhi, but also in other smaller cities such as Chandigarh and Chhattisgarh.
There are around 4,000-5,000 panel operators that initiate bank transactions with customers via UPI and bank accounts. These panel operators use bogus bank accounts to divert money.
The average daily earnings of these panel operators ranges between Rs 150 and Rs 200 crores. The Mahadev app settles the account every Monday.
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