New Delhi: Actor Kangana Ranaut on Saturday took a dig at Bollywood celebrities who have been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Mahadev online betting scandal. Kangana shared that she also got the offer of the endorsement, but she refused despite numerous attempts by the promoters.
Sharing a screenshot of a news article about the celebs under ED's scanner she wrote, “This endorsement came to me almost six times over a span of one year, every time they added several crores to the offer to buy me, but I said no each time. Look, integrity is not just for your conscience anymore. Yeh naya Bharat hai, sudhar jao nahi toh sudhar diye jaoge (This is the new Bharat, improve or you will be forced to improve).”
Celebrities including Ranbir Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Kapil Sharma Huma Qureshi, Shraddha Kapoor and others have been summoned by ED for questioning as they promoted the online betting app.
Earlier, Ranbir Kapoor had reportedly sought two weeks’ time to appear before the ED. Accoding to News 18, Ranbirwas not summoned as an accused but just to understand the betting business transactions. “Ranbir Kapoor has been summoned to understand the betting business transactions. At this point, he has not been summoned as accused. His questioning is important to know his knowledge about the money sources he received. It will possibly indicate the plans of the promoters and their association. “Ranbir Kapoor may not be part of conspiracy but very important to understand the scam,” News 18 quoted its source as saying.
Mahadev online betting scandal
The company promoted by Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal was being operated from Dubai. It was allegedly using the online book betting application to enroll new users, create IDs, and launder money through a layered web of benami bank accounts, the agency has alleged.
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.
Large-scale hawala operations are done to siphon off the proceeds of betting to offshore accounts, it had said.
A huge expenditure in cash has also been incurred in India for advertising of betting websites to attract new users and franchise (panel) seekers, it had said.
The company promoters hail from Bhilai in Chhattisgarh and the Mahadev online book betting application is an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for enabling illegal betting websites.