Mahadev App Case: ED Summons Kapil Sharma, Huma Qureshi

After Ranbir Kapoor, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday summoned comedian Kapil Sharma and actor Huma Qureshi in the Mahadev betting app case.

The probe agency has summoned Huma Qureshi and Hina Khan for alleged promotion of the app and Kapil Sharma for attending the success party of the Mahadev Book app in Dubai last September.

Earlier on Thursday, actor Ranbir Kapoor was summoned by the ED over his alleged involvement in promoting the gaming app. However, the actor's team has reached out to ED and requested two weeks time to appear before the team.

The agency is currently probing a number of Bollywood stars for their possible participation in an online betting scheme. Their presence at various events, including the wedding and celebration of successful application "Mahadev" developed by Sourabh Chandrakar in the UAE at the start of this year, is under scrutiny by the ED.

Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Ali Azgar, Vishal Dadlani, Tiger Shroff, Neha Kakkar, Elli Avram, Bharti Singh, Sunny Leone, Bhagyashree, Pulkit Samrat, Kirti Khabanda, Nushrat Bharucha, and Krushna Abhishek are among the celebrities who are being investigated by the ED due to their suspected ties with the Mahadev gaming app.

The Mahadev app, an online gambling platform, is under investigation by the ED and police authorities for alleged money laundering activities.

The company, reportedly run by Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, is implicated in money laundering via intricate benami accounts. The scam came to light in February 2023 following Chandrakar's lavish wedding that expended Rs 200 crore in cash.

Earlier, ED conducted raids in several cities like Mumbai, Kolkata and Bhopal in connection with the Mahadev betting app and their alleged money laundering networks.

The application and website promoting illegal activities such as online casinos and betting platforms in India were created by Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal. Despite the app being prohibited in India, they continue to operate their business in various other nations.

The central agency and police in Chhattisgarh have issued a Look Out Circular against Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal in August. According to a report in India Today, the two are currently in the United Arab Emirates. Last month, they tried to enter Australia, but were refused entry due to ongoing money laundering investigations in India.