Mahadev App Fraud Case: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken major action in the Mahadev online betting case and has frozen Rs 580 crore. Apart from this, cash worth Rs 1.86 crore and valuables worth Rs 1.78 crore were seized during the raid. The agency conducted these raids in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Raipur, Indore and Gurugram.
ED has arrested 9 accused in this case. Not only this, till now Rs 1296.05 crore/property has been frozen and confiscated and the investigation of the case is going on. Earlier on Wednesday (28 February), ED had raided 15 locations including Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, West Bengal. Many leaders and officials of Chhattisgarh are under investigation in this matter.
ED had started its investigation on the FIR of Chhattisgarh Police. Apart from this, Visakhapatnam Police and police of some other states had also registered a case against Mahadev App, which was also taken on record by ED.
Money was being transferred from one country to another
Investigation revealed that Mahadev Betting App was being run from Dubai, whose franchise was given under different names in many countries at 70 to 30 percent profit margin. The promoters of Mahadev app were also partners in some other betting apps like Ready Anna Fair Play and other apps. The earnings through these apps were being transferred from one country to another through fake bank accounts and hawala.
What did the investigation reveal?
During investigation, it was revealed that Hari Shankar Tiberwal, a big hawala businessman from Kolkata, who is living in Dubai, is carrying forward this business with the promoter of Mahadev App. After this information, ED conducted raids on the locations of Harishankar and his close ones, in which it was revealed that he himself was running his own betting app by the name of ‘Sky Exchange’.
The earnings from this betting app were being invested in the Indian Stock Market through FPI routes. Apart from this, he had shown many of his associates as directors and employees of a fake company through which he was investing money in the stock market.
While taking action against Hari Shankar, ED has frozen Rs 580.78 crore under PMLA. Not only this, till now Rs 1296.05 crore/property has been frozen and confiscated.
Former CM Bhupesh Baghel is also under suspicion
In the Mahadev Betting App case, ED has named Bhupesh Baghel in a supplementary charge sheet filed on January 1, 2024. ED’s lawyer had given a big statement on this.
After the name of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel came up in the Mahadev Betting App case, Enforcement Directorate lawyer Saurabh Pandey had said that as soon as evidence is found during the investigation, summons will be issued to him. He said that if evidence is found during the investigation, summons can be issued to anyone including the former Chief Minister.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has named Baghel in a supplementary chargesheet filed on January 1, 2024. This charge sheet pertains to the allegation of taking bribe of approximately Rs 508 crore from the promoters of Mahadev App.
