Mumbai: In a significant development in the Mahadev app case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Mumbai crime branch has arrested another accused, Bharat Chaudhary. He was produced in the Esplanade court and has been remanded to five days of police custody.
Chaudhary was initially arrested by the Kutch police on July 23 after arriving in Patan district, Gujarat, from Dubai. After being in Gujarat police custody, the Mumbai crime branch took his custody for further investigation.
According to crime branch officials, Chaudhary had been residing in Dubai for the past five years and was involved in addressing technical issues related to Mahadev app and similar platforms, assisting the accused in their operations. A lookout circular had been issued against him by the crime branch, marking him a wanted suspect in the case.
The Mahadev betting app case, originally filed at Matunga police station, has been transferred to the Mumbai crime branch, which has established an SIT for the investigation. Previously, the crime branch had arrested Dixit Kothari and actor/influencer Sahil Khan in the case.
In November last year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches related to money laundering networks linked to the betting App, resulting in the seizure of Rs5.39 crore in cash and Rs15.59 crore in bank accounts.
The ED also summoned several celebrities and Bollywood actors for questioning about their connections to the online betting platform and its financial transactions.
