The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken decisive action in the Mahadev app-linked money laundering case, freezing security holdings amounting to over Rs 580 crore belonging to a Dubai-based "hawala operator". The ED has also seized cash and valuables worth Rs 3.64 crore during fresh raids, according to official sources on Friday.
These raids, conducted on February 28, spanned across various locations including Kolkata, Gurugram, Delhi, Indore, Mumbai, and Raipur. The ongoing probe by the ED into the Mahadev online gaming and betting app has revealed alleged involvement of prominent politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh.
Identified as a key figure in the case, Hari Shankar Tibrewal, a Kolkata native currently residing in Dubai, is purportedly linked with the promoters of the Mahadev app. Additionally, Tibrewal is said to have owned and operated an alleged illegal betting app called "skyexchange".
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Under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the ED has frozen security holdings valued at Rs 580.78 crore, attributed to Tibrewal's ownership, as per sources.
During the course of these searches, the agency has recovered cash worth Rs 1.86 crore and valuables valued at Rs 1.78 crore.
With nine arrests made thus far in the case, the ED alleges that the illegal funds generated through the Mahadev app were utilized for paying bribes to politicians and bureaucrats in Chhattisgarh, the home state of the app's main promoters and operatives.
The ED has already filed two charge sheets in the case, targeting the principal promoters of the alleged illegal betting and gaming app, Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal. Prior to these recent raids, the agency had conducted multiple search operations.
The estimated proceeds of crime in this case amount to approximately Rs 6,000 crore, according to the ED's assessment.
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