Ranbir Kapoor summoned in money-laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned actor Ranbir Kapoor for questioning on Friday in connection with the Mahadev betting application money-laundering case in Chhattisgarh, officials said.

They said the agency has accused Kapoor of receiving money from the promoters of the app for promoting their product in the virtual (online) space.

The ED has asked Kapoor to appear at the agency's Raipur office on October 6, they said.

Despite several attempts to contact the actor, there was no response from him. Around 14-15 other celebrities and actors are under the ED's scanner in the case and they will also be summoned soon, sources said.

The company promoted by Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal was being operated from Dubai. It was allegedly using the online book betting application to enroll new users, create IDs, and launder money through a layered web of benami bank accounts, the agency has alleged.

The ED investigation has shown that the Mahadev Online Book App is run from a central head office in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), officials said. It operates by franchising "Panel/Branches" to their known associates on a 70-30 profit ratio, the agency had said.

Large-scale hawala operations are done to siphon off the proceeds of betting to offshore accounts, it had said.

A huge expenditure in cash has also been incurred in India for advertising of betting websites to attract new users and franchise (panel) seekers, it had said. The company promoters hail from Bhilai in Chhattisgarh and the Mahadev online book betting application is an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for enabling illegal betting websites.