The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday summoned a few more actors, including Huma Qureshi, Kapil Sharma, Shraddha Kapoor and Hina Khan in connection with its probe into the Mahadev betting app case. Khan is a famous TV actress. According to sources, all the artists have sought two weeks' time from the probe agency.
This comes a day after Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor was summoned for questioning in relation to the case. The agency has accused Kapoor of receiving money from the promoters of the app for promoting their product in the virtual (online) space. The ED had asked Kapoor to appear at the agency's Raipur office on October 6. However, the 41-year-old actor has sought two weeks time from the central agency.
Around 15 celebrities are on ED's radar
According to sources, around 14-15 other celebrities and actors are under the ED's scanner in the case and they are likely to be summoned soon. The ED investigation has shown 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 had said.
As per the agency, large-scale hawala operations are done to siphon off the proceeds of betting to offshore accounts. A huge expenditure in cash has also been incurred in India for advertising betting websites to attract new users and franchise seekers. Mahadev Online Book Betting app is an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for enabling illegal betting websites to enrol new users, create user IDs and the laundering of money through a layered web of benami bank accounts. The company promoters hail from Bhilai in Chhattisgarh.
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