Mahadev betting case: ED records TV host Shefali Bagga's statement

Raipur: Television host Shefali Bagga appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday, where her statement was recorded as part of the agency's ongoing money laundering investigation into the alleged multi-crore Mahadev online betting app case, officials said.

According to officials, Bagga's statement was recorded under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after she appeared at the ED's zonal office in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, news agency PTI reported.

The questioning comes weeks after the ED conducted searches at Bagga's residence in Delhi on May 30. During the raids, the agency said it seized ₹30 lakh in cash, which it has alleged was earned through the promotion of betting apps that are illegal in India.

The ED has alleged that Bagga was associated with Khanjan (Jagdish Kumar) Thakkar, who, according to the agency, runs and promotes betting applications in India and manages their financial operations through hawala channels.

Bagga was not immediately available for comment.

ED alleges role in promotion of betting apps

According to officials, the ED suspects Bagga was the public face of certain betting applications allegedly being operated from Dubai and London.

Officials said investigators questioned her about whether she had been providing betting tips to users of these apps. The agency has also gathered certain social media posts as part of its investigation, they added.

The allegations against Bagga are part of the ED's wider probe into the Mahadev online betting app case, which the agency has described as a large-scale international betting syndicate.

What is the Mahadev betting app case?

The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that the Mahadev betting app case involves high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh and that the proceeds of crime generated through the alleged racket amount to ₹6,000 crore.

According to the agency, the Mahadev online betting app functioned through multiple online platforms and domain names, including Tiger Exchange, Gold365 and Laser247, facilitating alleged illegal betting operations.

The ED has further alleged that the network operated through a franchise-based model comprising "panels" and "branches" managed by associates across India, while the main absconding promoters, Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, controlled the syndicate from Dubai.

The investigation remains ongoing. The agency recently arrested Ebix Group chairman Vikas Garg, the 14th person to be arrested in the case. So far, the ED has named 74 entities as accused across five chargesheets filed before a special PMLA court in Raipur.