'Sudhar jao': Kangana Ranaut warns celebs linked to Mahadev betting app case; reveals she said no to endorsement offers

Several top Bollywood celebrities, including actors Ranbir Kapoor, Huma Qureshi and comedian Kapil Sharma, are under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with its money laundering probe linked to the Mahadev betting app case. Amid this, actor Kangana Ranaut has opened up about how she was also approached by the promoters of Mahadev app several times, yet she denied the offer.

"This endorsement came to me almost six times over a span of one year, every time they added several crores to the offer to buy me, but I said no each time. Look, integrity is not good just for your conscience anymore. Yeh naya Bharat hai, sudhar jao nahi toh sudhar diye jaoge (This is the new Bharat, improve or you will be forced to improve)," she said on her Instagram story, sharing a screenshot of an article about the celebs under ED scanner.

While some of the actors named in the betting case are understood to have promoted the Mahadev app, some had reportedly entertained guests at a wedding of a promoter of the app (application) that was held abroad.

Sourabh Chandrakar, one of the promoters of the online betting platform, married in Ras Al-Khaimah in February. Private jets were reportedly hired to ferry family members and celebrities from the film industry performed at the wedding.

In September, the ED released details of its investigation into the online money laundering case linked with the Mahadev Online Book betting app. Wedding planners, dancers, decorators, among others, were hired from Mumbai and hawala channels were used to make payments in cash.

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

(With PTI inputs)

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