The Enforcement Directorate raided five locations in Chhattisgarh in connection with the Mahadev Betting App case on Friday (3rd November). The search operations were carried out at Durg, Raipur, Bhilai, Korba, and Raigarh. As part of the investigation, significant amounts of cash totalling crores of rupees have also been seized from multiple places.
According to the reports, the ED recovered Rs 2.5 crores in cash from the driver during the raid. The ED team is said to have conducted a raid at the home of Asif Dutt, also known as Bappa, in Bhilai’s Housing Board Block 15.
#WATCH | Chhattisgarh | ED team conducted a raid at the residence of a man, Asim alias Bappa in Bhilai of Durg district last night in connection with Mahadev betting app case. pic.twitter.com/478trombTX
— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) November 3, 2023
The money was recovered by ED late at night on 2nd November. A team of three to four ED officers arrived in vehicles at Asif Dutt’s home but nobody was at his home. The room was securely locked, so the ED team officers forced their way into the house by breaking the lock to conduct the raid and recover more than Rs 2.5 crore in 500 and 2000 denominations.
Dutt, also known as Bappa, was first recognized as a driver, but he is believed to be connected to the Mahadev app syndicate and is suspected of being the Mahadev app’s panel operator. He is currently on the run.
The process of counting the notes is currently underway. A separate note-counting machine has been purchased from the SBI Housing Board branch for this purpose. The ED believes the funds are linked to the online betting app Mahadev and were possibly intended for election expenses.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) additionally carried out search operations in Raipur. A significant sum of Rs 3.12 crore was discovered in a person’s vehicle at a Raipur hotel. The officer is currently questioning the owner of the vehicle.
The ED has also raided the homes of eight people involved in the betting business in Raipur, Raigarh, and Durg. The searches were conducted in three locations in Raipur: Walfort City, Swarnbhoomi, and Ashoka Ratna. The ED conducted searches at jewelry stores and petrol stations in these areas.
The Mahadev betting application was created by four people including key accused Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal from Madhya Pradesh and it gradually replaced at least 10 similar illicit betting apps that were being used all over the country. Lotus 365 and ReddyAnna are a couple of the applications that were once part of the Mahadev betting fold.
As many as 34 Bollywood celebrities including actors, singers, dancers, etc. have come under the Enforcement Directorate ED scanner in connection with the scam. Raftaar, Sonu Sood, Hardy Sandhu, Sonakshi Sinha, Malaika Arora and Amit Trivedi some of the names. The agency also recently summoned actor Ranbir Kapoor in relation to the case after several Bollywood personalities attended and performed at the wedding ceremony of Saurabh Chandrakar.
