ED summons actor Ranbir Kapoor in Mahadev betting app case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor for questioning on Friday 6 October in connection with the Mahadev betting application money-laundering case in Chhattisgarh, officials said.

They said the agency has accused Kapoor of receiving money from the promoters of the app to advertise their product in the virtual (online) space, and asked the actor to appear at the agency's Raipur office on Friday.

Nearly 15 other celebrities and actors are reportedly under the ED scanner in the case, and are likely to be summoned soon, sources said.

The company, promoted by Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, was allegedly using the online betting application to enrol new users, create IDs, and launder money through a layered web of benami (proxy) bank accounts, the ED has alleged.

The ED investigation has revealed that the Mahadev Online Book App is run from a central head office in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), officials said. It operates by franchising "panel/ branches" to their known associates on a 70-30 profit ratio, the agency said.

Large-scale hawala operations (payments made through a series of agents) were conducted to siphon the proceeds from betting to offshore accounts, it added.

A huge expenditure in cash has also been incurred in India to advertise betting websites to attract new users and franchise (panel) seekers, the ED found.

The company promoters are originally from Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, and the Mahadev online book betting application is reportedly an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms to enable illegal betting websites.