MUMBAI: The Special Investigating Team (SIT) of Mumbai Cyber Cell on Sunday arrested actor Sahil Khan from Chhattisgarh over his alleged involvement in the Mahadev betting app case. This comes after the Bombay High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea.
The police were able to arrest the actor after over a 40-hour-long operation with the help of their counterparts in Chhattisgarh. He is being brought to Mumbai, where he will be produced before a court, officials said.
The SIT has been conducting a probe into Khan’s alleged illegal transactions between some financial and real estate firms based in Chhattisgarh and promoters of the controversial ‘Mahadev betting app’.
The actor was earlier questioned by the SIT of Mumbai police in the case. Khan, however, claimed to be just a brand promoter of the Lion Book brand and denied direct association with the betting platform.
Sahil Khan, who acted in a few films like ‘Excuse Me’ and ‘Style’, is also a fitness entrepreneur and popular influencer on social media. He’s also alleged to be linked to ‘The Lion Book App’, which is part of the Mahadev network.
Celebrities under scrutiny
The Mahadev betting app made headlines last year when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned actors Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, who have appeared in advertisements for the app, for questioning.
In October 2023, comedian-turned-actor Kapil Sharma was summoned by the probing team as he had participated in an event organised by app founder Saurabh Chandrakar.
Hina Khan and Huma Qureshi were also summoned, as they were also reportedly part of the promotions for the app. Earlier this week, actor Tamannaah Bhatia was summoned in connection with the promotion of a subsidiary app of the Mahadev betting app.
Mahadev booking app
The controversial online betting app was operated by Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal. The duo hails from Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. The ED probe unearthed that the app is run from the central head office in Dubai, UAE.
The app reportedly offers online platforms for alleged illegal betting in different live games, including cricket, badminton, tennis, poker, and card. The app is said to have been operational for the last four years.
The app reportedly enrolled new users and laundered money through Benami bank accounts. The betting options were rigged so that the players lost money and the company gained. Chandrakar and Uppal made regular payments to police, politicians, and bureaucrats to ensure that the app was off the radar of probing agencies, said ED officials.
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