Sahil Khan Arrested in Mahadev Betting App Scam
Bollywood actor Sahil Khan has been apprehended by Mumbai’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) for his alleged involvement in the Mahadev betting app scam. Khan was taken into custody on Saturday in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, after the Bombay High Court rejected his plea for bail. The actor, who has starred in films like Aladdin and Style, is one of 32 individuals charged with promoting the illegal betting platform.
Other Bollywood celebrities have also been questioned in connection with the case. Last year, Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi were summoned by the authorities for allegedly receiving payments to promote the app. They were interrogated to provide information about the source of the funds they received. The federal agencies revealed that the celebrities were compensated through hawala transactions for promoting the Mahadev betting app. They were brought in for questioning from a wedding in Dubai in February of this year.
Recently, actress Tamannaah Bhatia was called in for questioning by the Maharashtra cyber cell regarding her alleged promotion of the Fairplay betting app, which is connected to the Mahadev betting app. Mumbai Police have already recorded statements from actors Badshah, Sanjay Dutt, and Jacqueline Fernandez in connection with the case.
The SIT has been investigating the alleged unlawful transactions between the promoters of the controversial Mahadev betting app and various financial and real estate firms in the state. According to the FIR filed by the police, the estimated value of the scam is approximately 15,000 crore rupees. Shail Khan and 31 others are being investigated in relation to the case. The police are examining their bank accounts, mobile phones, laptops, and other electronic devices as part of the probe.
The FIR alleges that the promoters of the Mahadev betting app, identified as Uppal, Saurabh Chandrakar, Shubham Soni, and Anil Agrawal, established an online platform for live betting and gambling through social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram. They employed panel operators and branch operators to facilitate their illicit online betting activities. According to the FIR, after retaining 70-80% of the illegal profits for themselves, the promoters distributed the remaining funds to the panel operators and branch operators.
It is reported that the promoters and panel operators generated approximately 450 crore rupees per month through the online betting app during the 2020 lockdown period. The FIR also states that the panel operators utilized multiple bank accounts to transfer illicit funds to the app promoters in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
