Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. (File Photo: PTI)
A special investigation team (SIT) will probe the Mahadev betting app scam and its owner’s link with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s brother and a Mumbai-based developer
Bharatiya Janata Party’s Maharashtra MLA and chief whip Ashish Shelar raised a calling attention motion to direct the assembly towards a serious scam under Rule 105, while also pointing to an alleged connection with the dreaded D-company. Shelar said that many online betting platforms like the Mahadev app have spread their tentacles across the country, cheating ordinary poor people. The online transactions were used to create fake Indian documents of Bangladeshi citizens and thousands of fake accounts were opened with a private bank, he said. Also, a case of evasion of 28 per cent service tax and excise duty was registered by the government, Shelar informed the House.
“The second accused in the FIR, Amit Sharma, is the partner of Mumbai bomb blast prime accused and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s brother Mustaqeem’s close aide and is accused of operating the Mahadev app. They have allegedly invested money in Vijay Jain’s infra company. According to the information, underworld money is getting routed to Mumbai by this company, which is carrying out works in Mumbai’s Goregaon and Mira Road areas,” alleged Shelar. “Rashesh Shah’s Edelweiss has financed it to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore.”
Shelar demanded that a serious investigation should happen in this case and criminal charges should be filed against the culprits.
Responding to this, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the Enforcement Directorate is investigating the Mahadev app case. Also, since the scope of this crime is across the country, a special investigation team has been formed, he said. Fadnavis added that based on the information given by Ashish Shelar, Vijay Jain’s JP Infra, Amit Sharma, and Rashesh Shah’s Edelweiss will be thoroughly investigated— their motive behind investing this amount, whether the money was deposited through legal means or was black money, are there any malpractices involved, whether there are any criminal links will be thoroughly probed over the next two months. And if any malpractices are found, he said, serious action will be taken against them.
The deputy chief minister also said that information on the bank accounts used for depositing money for betting and playing online games and also for sending money won in these transactions has been obtained. It has been revealed that one private bank has a total of 16 accounts and information on 15 accounts and account holders has been accessed so far, he said. These bank accounts are in the states of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, New Delhi, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana, Fadnavis revealed. Currently, verification of these bank accounts and account holders is in progress, while an in-depth investigation is being conducted for non-payment of GST to the state exchequer on the profits received from these betting apps, thus causing a huge loss to the state government, he said.
“In the complaint filed by the plaintiff, accused no. 2 Amit Sharma is said to be an associate of accused no. 21 and 22 and is their partner in various betting apps. Also, accused no. 21 is connected with the criminal world and is related to Mustaqeem. And all three of them are said to have made investments in various construction projects in Mumbai and Mira Road. And if that is so, the name of the developer and the finance company that provided funds will be investigated. Necessary actions will be taken if revealed in the investigations,” said Fadnavis.
News18 reached out to the bank named by Ashish Shelar. “Till date no information, data or clarification of any kind has been sought from AU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB) by any of the agencies in connection with the ongoing investigation in Mahadev App matter. We have come to know of this development via various media and public sources and are always committed to provide full support to any investigation agency, as and when required. Further, we wish to clarify that, at AU SFB, we ensure full compliance in account opening of our customers including compliance with various KYC norms and all processes laid down for operations of customer accounts are strictly adhered to,” said a spokesperson.
“Edelweiss has no financial relationships with JP Infra Mumbai, JP Infra India Pvt. Ltd and has not financed projects like JP Deck in Goregaon neither anywhere else as alleged today. We state categorically that these claims are unfounded, baseless and seem motivated. Edelweiss has always conducted its business with the highest levels of integrity and in full compliance with all regulatory requirements,” the company said in a statement, according to media reports on December 14.
