Ranbir Kapoor summoned in the Mahadev app case: What’s the betting racket?

The betting world is dark and murky. And right at the centre of it is the Mahadev Online Booking App. It is under the scanner of probe agencies for enabling illegal betting in poker, card games, cricket, badminton, tennis, and football, among others. Now Bollywood actors like Ranbir Kapoor have been embroiled in the controversy. Kapoor has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the case involving the Mahadev gaming App and has been asked to appear before the agency for questioning on Friday. The actor who featured in commercials to endorse the app was reportedly given a large amount of money in exchange. This amount, claims the probe agency, came from the proceeds of the crime. Why has ED summoned Ranbir Kapoor? The Brahmastra star is not the only film celebrity who is in trouble for their links to the app. There are at least 12 other actors from Bollywood and Tollywood on the ED’s radar along with 100 influencers. They are likely to be summoned as part of the probe. Some of the actors attended or performed at the wedding of Mahadev app’s co-owner Sourabh Chandrakar in February this year and the company’s success party in September last year. The betting money was reportedly used to pay them. Kapoor is said to be among the highest-paid celebrities who were paid by app promoters Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal. Apart from ads, the actor promoted the app on social media. [caption id=“attachment_13203322” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Actor Ranbir Kapoor appeared in commercials for the Mahadev gaming app and also promoted it online, say media reports. File photo/PTI[/caption] What is the Mahadev app and how does it operate? The gaming app, called the Mahadev Online Book, provides a platform for illegal betting games like poker, card games, chance games, and sports like cricket, tennis and football. People can also bet on elections in the country. It also allows people to play games like Teen Patti, poker, “Dragon Tiger” and virtual cricket. Those who run and maintain the Mahadev app are called “panel owners”. They operate several closed groups on instant messaging platforms. They run four to five similar platforms and make a profit of Rs 200 crore a day, reports NDTV. These individuals then advertise the contact number of Mahadev Book over websites, luring people to play games to earn profits, according to a report in The Indian Express. Also read: Mahadev online betting case: Who are the kingpins? Once participants click on the ad, they are asked to contact specific WhatsApp numbers. “Once a user contacts this number, he will be provided two separate numbers. One is for depositing money and collecting points in user IDs used to make bets. The second is for contacting the website to encash accumulated points in designated IDs,” an ED source told ThePrint. These IDs are created on different platforms such as laser247.com, laserbook247.com, betbhai.com, betbook247.com, tigerexch247.com, and cricketbet9.com “depending on the need and preference of the bettors”. The panel owners collect money, create user IDs, distribute the ID credentials, and distribute any money earned. The players have to deposit money in benami accounts, which are shared online after which they are assigned panels by the head office, which is based out of Dubai. The payouts are also done from benami accounts, which are opened fraudulently. [caption id=“attachment_13203362” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Mahadev gaming app provides a platform for online betting in card games, poker, and live games like cricket, badminton, and tennis, according to ED. Representational picture/Pixabay[/caption] All the games are reportedly rigged. This ensures that the panel owners do not make losses. While users make initial profits, they are likely to lose huge sums in the long run. The app, which started operations in 2017, witnessed a spike in users in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Who are the masterminds behind the Mahadev app? The main promoters of the app are Sourabh Chandrakar, 28, and Ravi Uppal, 43. Both hail from Chattisgarh’s Bhilai but have been running the racket from Dubai, where they have been staying for the last two years. The two control the operations and are said to pocket 80 per cent of the profits. ED sources told The Indian Express that the duo is suspected to have made Rs 5000 crore from the app. While not much is known about Chandrakar’s educational qualification, Uppal is an engineer. Reports in the media said that Chandrakar spent Rs 200 crore on his wedding in Dubai. He leased a private aircraft for his family and friends to fly from Nagpur for the wedding. [caption id=“attachment_13203372” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Last month. the ED conducted searches against the money laundering networks linked with the Mahadev App in several cities. Image courtesy: @dir_ed/X[/caption] How far has the ED probe come? The ED, which started its investigation earlier this year, arrested four people in connection with the case in late August. These include businessmen Sunil Dammani and Anil Dammani, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Chandra Bhushan Verma of the Chhattisgarh Police, and Satish Chandrakar. The ED sources alleged that ASI Verma played a big role in protecting the main accused in the case. He is said to have received Rs 65 crore in cash from promoters of the app. In September, the ED conducted searches against money-laundering networks linked to the app in Kolkata, Bhopal, and Mumbai. They seized cash and property worth Rs 417 crore. The agency also searched the premises of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s political adviser and two Officers on Special Duty (OSDs) alleging that “high-ranking officials connected with the Chief Minister’s Office” in Chhattisgarh received kickbacks to allow an illegal gaming app to run its operations in the state, reports NDTV. Now, it is Bollywood that is on its radar. With inputs from agencies