On 5th November (Sunday), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued orders to block 22 illegal betting apps and websites, including Mahadev Book which allegedly has links with the D-company. After ED’s recommendation, the Centre issued this blocking order under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.
As per a statement issued by the ministry, Mahadev Book, Reddyannaprestopro, and 20 other similar apps have been ordered to be blocked. The action follows investigations conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against an illegal betting app syndicate and subsequent raids on Mahadev Book in Chhattisgarh, revealing the app’s unlawful operations.
Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrashekhar in a statement launched a scathing attack on the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government in Chhattisgarh over the alleged Mahadev betting app scam in which the name of Chhattisgarh CM had cropped up during the investigation.
Lambasting the Congress for inaction, the Minister said, “Chhattisgarh Government had all the power to recommend shutting down of website/app under Sec 69A IT Act. However, they did not do so and no such request was made by the State Government while they have been investigating it for the last 1.5 years.”
He added, “In fact, the first and only request has been received from ED and it has been acted upon. Nothing prevented the Chhattisgarh Government from making similar requests.”
The development follows the ED investigation against the illegal betting app syndicate and subsequent raids on Mahadev Book in Chhattisgarh which unearthed the app’s unlawful operations.
Earlier on 3rd November, ED revealed that regular payments have been made by Mahadev Book App Promoters to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and so far around Rs 508 crore has been paid. The revelations were based on fresh evidence ED gathered following a search operation on 2nd November.
So far, accused Bhim Singh Yadav who had been working as a Constable in the Chhattisgarh Police force, and another accused named Asim Das are currently in custody. They were arrested under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for the commission of the offence of Money laundering u/s 3, punishable u/s 4 of PMLA, 2002.
ED is currently probing the allegations that the promoters of the Mahadev Book Online Betting App syndicate are based abroad. But they are remotely running thousands of panels across India with the help of their friends and associates who are mainly from Chhattisgarh and have earned thousands of crore of proceeds of crime.
The ED has already arrested four accused persons, seized proceeds of crime worth more than Rs 450 crore, and has filed a prosecution complaint against 14 accused persons.
The ED findings also revealed that the promoters of the Mahadev Betting app had links with Dawood Ibrahim’s D-company.