Intensifying its investigation in the Mahadev app case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor on October 6. Several high-profile Bollywood celebrities are under the ED radar in connection with the case.
The ED has asked Kapoor to appear at the Raipur office of the agency on October 6, officials told PTI.
Why ED Summoned Ranbir Kapoor?
The ED probe suggests Kapoor was paid by promoters of the Mahadev application in lieu of endorsing their gaming platform. The payment made to Kapoor was allegedly the proceeds of the crime. The actor also appeared in advertisements and social media promotions for the platform.
Kapoor allegedly received money from the promoters of the app for performing at the wedding of one of the promoters.
What is Mahadev App? Who Are its Owners?
The company, promoted by Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, reportedly offers online platforms for alleged illegal betting in different live games including cricket, tennis, badminton, poker and card games. These have been operational for the past four years.
The company promoters hail from Bhilai in Chhattisgarh and the Mahadev online book betting application is an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for enabling illegal betting websites.
The online application enrolled new users and allegedly laundered money through a layered web of Benami bank accounts. The games, the lotteries and betting options allegedly were all rigged where the ‘players’ always lost money and the company gained.
Chandrakar’s company allegedly gained around Rs 5,000 crore through the scam.
Owners of the Mahadev online betting app are suspected to have links in Pakistan apart from association with local businessmen and hawala operations, Enforcement Directorate sources told News18.
What Does ED Investigation Say?
An investigation into 28-year-old Sourabh Chandrakar was prompted by his lavish Rs 250-crore wedding in the UAE, following which investigators stumbled upon the details of alleged hawala operations and their connections in the UAE and Pakistan.
The ED has clubbed at least seven FIRs filed by the victims of the scam who lost their money. The FIRs were filed across locations, including Goa, Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad and Chhattisgarh.
Around eight major international hawala operators are under the scanner for laundering money to Middle Eastern countries and to Pakistan by running a similar portal. Chandrakar and his associates allegedly used at least 70 shell companies to launder money to offshore accounts.
The anti-money laundering agency is now exploring options to seek cooperation from international agencies to take legal action against the app owner, who is currently in the UAE.
Why Are Bollywood Celebrities Under Radar?
Several Bollywood celebrities, who attended or performed at Chandrakar’s wedding in February this year and the company’s success party in September last year, are under the ED scanner.
“The celebrities accepted a huge amount of cash as remuneration for attending or performing at the wedding. The money is the proceeds of the crime and the celebrities are liable for taking the money. There are more than a dozen celebrities who participated in the wedding and they are seen in the videos,” a senior source in the ED told CNN-News18 earlier.
The ED has already raided several premises related to hawala operators across cities in India and attached Rs 417 crore. During a recent raid in Mumbai, the ED also tracked seven hawala kingpins who allegedly laundered the money. “Each hawala operator handled more than 500 dummy accounts to launder money,” a source told CNN-News 18.
Modus Operandi of Mahadev App
The app platform, based out of the UAE, has call centres, which are routed through the Netherlands, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the UAE. When customers call this centre, they are asked to share details on a WhatsApp number. The details are then shared with panel operators in India, which are operating primarily in Mumbai and Delhi, and also in some smaller cities, such as Chandigarh and Chhattisgarh.
There are 4,000-5,000 such panel operators who initiate bank transactions with customers through UPI and bank accounts. These panel operators have fake bank accounts where the money is diverted.
The average daily profit of these panel operators is anywhere between Rs 150-Rs 200 crores on a daily basis. Every Monday, the account is settled with the Mahadev app.
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