Ranbir Kapoor seeks 2 weeks time to appear before ED in Mahadev betting scam case

Ranbir Kapoor has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for his alleged involvement in connection with the Mahadev betting app scam. The actor is required to clarify his ties to the main accused, Sourabh Chandrakar, who is reportedly on the run. As per the latest development, he sought a two-week extension to appear before the ED. 

3 things you need to know

• Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal who hail from Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, are the promoters of the Mahadev Betting App and reportedly, operate from Dubai.
• ED has recently conducted searches against the money laundering networks linked with the Mahadev App in cities like Kolkata, Bhopal and Mumbai.
• During the investigation, a large amount of incriminating evidence has been recovered and ED has frozen/seized proceeds of crime worth Rs 417 crore.

Why is Ranbir Kapoor summoned by ED?

Although Ranbir Kapoor did not attend the Dubai wedding, which is under ED scanner, he is still under scrutiny for his alleged endorsing the Mahadev betting app in the virtual space. As per the sources, the authorities want to question him about the mode of payment he received from the company. More summons by the ED will be issued in the coming time.

(File photo of Ranbir Kapoor | Image: Instagram)

14 celebs, influencers under ED scanner

The main accused in the Mahadev betting app scam reportedly engaged an event management company to handle payments made to the celebrities who attended accused Sourabh Chandrakar's wedding in Dubai. This company facilitated a lavish wedding, which was attended by numerous celebrities, including Tiger Shroff, Ali Asgar, Vishal Dadlani, Neha Kakkar, Elli Avram, Bharti Singh, Sunny Leone, Bhagyashree, Pulkit Samrat, Kriti Kharbanda, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Krushna Abhishek, Atif Aslam, and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

Bharti Singh denies knowing Chandrakar

According to ED, 14 celebrities attended Saurabh Chandrakar's wedding in Dubai, where allegedly Rs 260 crore was spent. Reportedly, one of the guests was actor-comedian Bharti Singh. Some visuals from the alleged Dubai wedding of Chandrakar also surfaced on the internet, showing Bharti interacting with the guests in attendance. 

When Republic reached out to Bharti and asked if she attended Chandrakar's wedding in Dubai, she denied knowing him. When probed further about her involvement in promotions of the Mahadev App, she said "I haven't promoted anything, I'm listening to this from you for the first time. Who is Saurabh? I don't know anything about him. Talk to my manager. I don't know anything about it."

(With inputs from Sandip Singh)