The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has stepped up its crackdown on the Mahadev online betting app case by provisionally attaching assets worth Rs 21.45 crore. The action was taken under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, following an attachment order issued on January 10, marking another significant move in the long-running probe.
This development forms part of the ED’s broader effort to curb illegal online betting operations and dismantle the money-laundering networks that sustain them. The investigation has revealed that the alleged betting racket was not confined to a single state but operated across multiple regions, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, among others.
According to the ED, the assets attached comprise immovable properties and financial investments that were acquired using proceeds generated from unlawful betting activities. The agency believes these assets are directly linked to the profits earned through the Mahadev betting platform, which allegedly functioned as part of a large and well-organised syndicate.
Investigators have found that the Mahadev app operated through an elaborate hierarchy involving promoters, panel operators and a wide network of agents and sub-agents. The platform is accused of facilitating illegal betting by exploiting digital tools and online infrastructure to reach users and collect wagers on a large scale.
The probe has further revealed that the funds generated through these activities were systematically laundered to conceal their illegal origins. This was allegedly done using shell companies, benami bank accounts and multiple layers of financial transactions designed to obscure money trails and evade detection by authorities.
According to the ED’s findings, a substantial portion of the earnings — estimated at around 70 to 75 per cent — was funnelled to the main promoters of the betting operation. The remaining amount was distributed among lower-level agents and sub-agents who played roles in managing accounts, recruiting users and promoting the platform.
The agency has identified several individuals connected to different aspects of the operation, including those responsible for running betting panels, handling financial transactions and promoting the Mahadev app through digital and social media channels. Assets belonging to some of these individuals have been included in the latest attachment.
Officials also said that the investigation has exposed the use of a large number of bank accounts and forged or fabricated documents, allegedly employed to mask the flow of illicit funds and complicate efforts to trace the money back to its source.
So far, the ED has carried out searches at multiple locations and followed financial trails involving transactions running into thousands of crores of rupees. The agency stated that the latest attachment is part of its continuing strategy to break the financial backbone of illegal betting syndicates, and that further attachments and legal proceedings are likely as the investigation moves forward.
