The ED has asked the actor to be present before it on Friday.
Actor Ranbir Kapoor has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in a case involving an online gaming app. He has been asked to be present before the agency on Friday.
Here are 10 points on this developing story:
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Ranbir Kapoor appeared in the promotions for the Mahadev Online Book App. The ED has claimed that he was given a large amount of money in exchange, which was from the proceeds of a crime.
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The agency said 12 other actors, from Bollywood and Tollywood, are on the agency’s radar. At least 100 influencers are also under the scanner and all of these people may be summoned as part of the investigation.
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The promoters, Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, hail from Bhilai in Chhattisgarh but the app was being run from the company’s headquarters in UAE. It has call centres in Sri Lanka, Nepal and UAE.
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The agency claimed the Mahadev app is part of an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for illegal betting websites to enrol new users, create user IDs and launder money through a layered web of benami bank accounts.
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An ED official said the promoters ran 4-5 such apps, which have been raking in profits of Rs 200 crore every day.
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Last month, the agency had conducted searches against the money-laundering networks linked with the Mahadev app in Kolkata, Bhopal and Mumbai, among other places, and retrieved incriminating evidence. It had also frozen or seized proceeds of crime worth Rs 417 crore.
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A statement issued by the agency last month said Chandrakar and Uppal have “created an empire for themselves in the UAE” and were flaunting their illegal riches.
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Chandrakar got married in Ras Al Khaimah, a city in the UAE, in February, and Rs 200 crore in cash was spent on the wedding. Private jets were hired to ferry family members from Nagpur to UAE and celebrities were paid to perform.
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The statement said Rs 112 crore was delivered via hawala channels to an event management company – M/s R-1 Events Pvt Ltd – and Rs 42 crore was paid in cash for hotel bookings.
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There is no confirmation yet on whether Ranbir Kapoor will appear in the ED office himself on Friday or send a representative.
