Mahadev Betting App Scam: Actor Sahil Khan has been placed under arrest by the police until May 1st for the Mahadev betting app issue. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Mumbai arrested Khan on Saturday from Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, following the Bombay High Court’s rejection of his bail application.
The actor, who is well-known for his roles in Bollywood movies such as Excuse Me, Style, and Aladdin, is among the 32 people tasked with promoting the betting app. In the Mahadev betting app case, questions have also been directed towards other Bollywood superstars.
Mahadev Betting App Scam: List of Bollywood celebrities questioned so far
Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor
The performers of Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar were summoned by the Enforcement Directorate last year for allegedly accepting cash for app promotion. They were questioned to get information on where the money came from.
Kapil Sharma, Hina Khan, Huma Qureshi
The federal agencies confirmed that the celebrities were compensated for promoting the Mahadev betting app using hawala transactions. They were called after attending a wedding in Dubai in February of this year.
Tamannaah Bhatia
The actress has recently been called out on the betting app also known as Fairplay. The Maharashtra Cyber Cell summoned Bhatia for questioning over her alleged encouragement to watch IPL 2024 matches on the FairPlay betting app.
Badshah, Sanjay Dutt, Jacqueline Fernandez
The Mumbai Police has already taken statements from Badshah, Dutt, and Fernandez regarding the case.
What is the case of the Mahadev betting app?
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing purported illicit transactions involving the creators of the contentious Mahadev betting app and various financial and real estate entities in the state. According to the police’s First Information Report (FIR), the magnitude of the scandal amounts to around ₹15,000 crore.
An inquiry is ongoing against Sahil Khan and 31 other individuals. Police stated that the investigation entails scrutinizing their bank accounts, mobile phones, laptops, and all technical devices.
According to the FIR, Uppal, Saurabh Chandrakar, Shubham Soni, and Anil Agrawal, who are the promoters of the Mahadev book app, created an online platform for live online betting and participated in gambling through social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram.
The promoters set up multiple platforms and employed panel operators and branch operators to conduct unlawful online betting operations. According to the FIR, they allocated the remaining funds to panel operators and branch operators, keeping 70–80% of the illicit profits for themselves.
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Following the implementation of the lockdown in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the promoters and panel operators allegedly generated approximately ₹450 crore per month through the online betting app. The FIR stated that panel operators utilized multiple bank accounts to transfer illicit funds to the app promoters located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).