The Mahadev Satta App, an online platform for betting on various games and events, has come under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a major crackdown. Actor Ranbir Kapoor has been issued a summons for questioning on October 6 as part of the ongoing investigation.
Source: Inventiva
Mahadev Gaming App is an online betting platform that allows users to wager on a wide range of live games, including poker, card games, chance games, badminton, tennis, football, and cricket. Additionally, it offers various card games such as Teen Patti and Poker, as well as virtual cricket games. The app operates through closed groups on instant messaging platforms and reportedly generates a staggering ₹200 crore in daily earnings.
The app attracts users by posting contact numbers on websites, encouraging them to participate and make profits. These contact numbers are accessible only through platforms like WhatsApp. Upon contacting the provided number, users receive two separate contact numbers: one for depositing money and acquiring points for betting, and the other for contacting the website to cash out the points assigned to their IDs.
Source: Money Control
The company responsible for Mahadev Gaming App is owned by Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal. They allegedly provide online platforms for illegal betting in various live games, including cricket, tennis, badminton, poker, and card games. These operations have been active for the past four years. Chandrakar and Uppal, hailing from Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, are believed to have connections not only with local businessmen but also with illegal betting networks in Pakistan.
The ED initiated an investigation into Sourabh Chandrakar following his extravagant ₹250-crore wedding in the UAE. This event revealed alleged hawala operations and connections in the UAE and Pakistan. The ED has consolidated at least seven FIRs filed by victims who lost their money in the scam, spanning locations like Goa, Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad, and Chhattisgarh. Approximately eight major international hawala operators are now under scrutiny for their involvement in laundering money to Middle Eastern countries and Pakistan via a similar portal. Chandrakar and associates purportedly used around 70 shell companies for money laundering to offshore accounts. The ED is actively seeking cooperation from international agencies to pursue legal action against the app owner, who is currently in the UAE.
Source: GR
The scandal has also cast a shadow over several Bollywood stars who attended or performed at Chandrakar’s lavish wedding earlier this year and the company’s success party the year before. Media reports suggest that these celebrities received substantial cash payments for their appearances, and these earnings are suspected to be proceeds of the illegal activity. Consequently, these Bollywood stars are now being investigated by the ED. The agency has conducted raids on multiple premises linked to hawala operators across various Indian cities and has seized assets worth ₹417 crore. During a recent raid in Mumbai, the ED uncovered seven hawala kingpins allegedly involved in money laundering.
