Ranbir requests week's time: ED lawyer on summon issued over Mahadev app

The lawyer for the Enforcement Directorate has said that Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor has requested one week time to appear before the ED regarding the summon issued to him in connection with the Mahadev betting app case.

Speaking to ANI, ED lawyer Saurabh Pandey said, "Mahadev app is a betting portal and it is a case of money laundering. Raipur ED office started the probe and four people were arrested. As the probe proceeded further, the names of many people came to light, and we issued summons to a few people. Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor's name has also come up so we issued a summon under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), he didn't appear today but through email, he requested one week time. We will see what needs to be done further."

"The procedure is that if one does not appear on the called date then we issue the summon again," he added.

According to sources Ranbir Kapoor had allegedly carried out promotional activities for the Mahadev betting app. In this case, ED also suspects several other A-lister celebrities and certain sports personalities who promoted the app

A lavish wedding held this February in the United Arab Emirates caught the attention of the Enforcement Directorate as the entire money-around Rs 200 crore- spent on the bash was paid entirely in cash.

At his wedding held in Ras Al-Khaimah, Sourabh Chandrakar, one of the promoters of the Mahadev Online Book Betting app, hired private jets to ferry family members from Nagpur to the UAE and paid celebrities from the Indian film industry to perform, according to the ED.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also summoned comedian Kapil Sharma and actor Huma Qureshi in connection with the Mahadev betting app case.

Mahadev Online Book Betting app is an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for enabling illegal betting websites to enrol new users, create user IDs and the laundering of money through a layered web of benami bank accounts.

ED had stated that it has successfully identified other major players involved in the money laundering operations of the Mahadev online booking app.