Amid the ED probe into the Mahadev Books app case, Mumbai Police has found that the Mahadev app and its subsidiary, Lotus app, are being used for betting in the ongoing 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. So far, 22 people have been apprehended in at least 17 cases related to betting during the tournament, most of which was via online apps, and Rs 90,000 in cash, two laptops and 27 mobile phones worth Rs 16 lakh have been seized in raids.
The police are now connecting the dots to find out on whose behest the betting is being done. According to sources, this betting racket involves big players and is being operated from Dubai with the help of bookies in Gujarat and Mumbai.
The police said betting during this World Cup is being done on the entire game as well as spot fixtures. The parallel ED investigation has further revealed that a number of bookies in Gujarat were involved with the Mahadev app founders. These bookies were allegedly providing their bank account numbers for transaction of gambling amounts and would get 3.5 percent commission per Rs 1 lakh.
The ED chargesheet states that to bypass the gambling clause, these betting apps show money bet as coins or points. Experts said considering that the makers will not let money bet on matches be shown, technology is being used to mask it.
Sources further said considering there are caps on transactions being made through bank accounts and UPI, the amount is invested by splitting the actual amount, through hawala transactions or by dummy bank accounts of bookies.
With changing technology and servers operating from outside India, the perpetrators in these betting rackets are able to evade the law. But, in reality even those who are betting are culprits in such cases.
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