Umesh Rariya
“Mahadev app” closed after committing fraud of Rs 5000 crore:
The Indian government has taken measures to combat illegal operations by prohibiting 122 betting apps and websites, such as the Mahadev app. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had conducted searches and claimed that the app’s promoters had accumulated a staggering amount of Rs 5,000 crore ($670 million) through the platform. This ban follows previous actions by the government, which had already banned more than 100 lending and betting apps earlier this year. Furthermore, the Information Technology Rules of 2021 now explicitly forbid any game that entails betting or wagering on outcomes within India.
The operations of 122 illegal betting apps and websites have been prohibited by the government. On Sunday (November 5), the order to block the functioning of the Mahadev app, reddyannaofficial.in, and 20 other apps and websites was issued by the ministry of electronics and information technology. This ban was implemented subsequent to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action.
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The names included in govt’s list
Names of the apps banned Mahadev Book Online, reddyannaofficial.in and “Reddyannaprestopro”.
Other names are not known.
What exactly is Mahadev Book Online app
According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Mahadev Book offers online platforms for illicit gambling in various live games, including poker and other card games, games of chance, cricket, badminton, tennis, football, and more. Additionally, it facilitates betting on different elections in India.
The Mahadev Online Book Betting App operates as a comprehensive syndicate, facilitating the enrollment of new users on illegal betting websites, generating User IDs, and engaging in money laundering activities through a complex network of undisclosed bank accounts. Recently, the ED conducted extensive searches in cities such as Kolkata, Bhopal, and Mumbai, targeting the money laundering networks associated with the Mahadev App. Substantial amounts of incriminating evidence were recovered, and proceeds of crime amounting to ₹417 crore were frozen or seized, as stated by the ED in a previous announcement.
The ED sources have asserted that the individuals behind the app, Sourabh Chandrakar, 28, and Ravi Uppal, 43, originally from Bhilai, are currently situated in Dubai and potentially have accumulated a substantial sum of Rs 5,000 crore through the platform. According to the prosecution complaint (PC) filed by the ED, the Mahadev app operated on a franchise-like structure, with a profit-sharing ratio of 70-30% for the outsourced panel.
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138 apps banned in March
The number adds to 100-plus lending and
Is the Mahadev app new betting apps banned by the government earlier this year. In March, the IT ministry had issued similar orders to bar the operations of 138 betting and gambling apps on an “urgent” and “emergency” basis for “improper data storage and transfer” to other countries as well as money laundering.
The IT ministry stated that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted investigations into an illegal betting app syndicate, leading to subsequent raids on Mahadev Book in Chhattisgarh. These actions revealed the unlawful operations of the app. According to the ED, a cash courier sent from the United Arab Emirates by the promoters of the Mahadev app allegedly paid Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel Rs 508 crore. The ED has reportedly arrested four individuals and seized over Rs 450 crore per month by facilitating illegal bets through various online applications.
138 apps banned in March
The minister of state for electronics and information technology stated that the Chhattisgarh government possessed the authority to propose the cessation of a website or application in accordance with Section 69A of the IT Act.
Harsh badhoutiya
