Celebrities are facing legal issues as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken notice of their closeness with the founders of the Mahadev gambling app, whose assets have been freezed.

ED has summoned celebrities including Shraddha Kapoor, Tiger Shroff, Sunny Leone, Huma Qureshi, Atif Aslam, Hina Khan, Kapil Sharma, and Rahat Father Ali Khan for having attended the 200 crore wedding of Sourabh Chandrakar, CEO of Mahadev app, in UAE in February. 

Meanwhile, actor Ranbir Kapoor, who was called by the ED in the same matter on Wednesday, requested a two-week extension to appear before the agency. The ED has yet to determine whether to give the actor two weeks.

Ranbir, on the other hand, has apparently been summoned not as an accused in the case, but to ascertain his knowledge of the source of money he received to advertise the betting app.

According to sources, the ED is looking into roughly 100 persons, including celebrities and influencers, for their potential involvement in the money-laundering case. These celebrities attended or performed at the wedding of the company's CEO, Sourabh, in February of this year and the company's success celebration in September 2022.

An examination of the event's financial transactions revealed a network of arrangements involving services like wedding preparation, dancing performances, and decoration services, all of which were predominantly provided in Mumbai. These services were allegedly paid for through Hawala routes, totaling Rs 112 crore delivered through Hawala to an events management business.

The Mahadev online betting app's strong presence in Chhattisgarh is an important part of its activities. During the ED's probe, it was discovered that the business's promoter had paid Rs 40 crore to an event management company to plan a large party in Dubai on September 18. 

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Ranbir Kapoor in legal troubles for betting app ad

The ED and police departments in numerous states are investigating the Mahadev Book app, an online betting business. The programme allowed illicit betting on various online games, including poker, card games, chance games, badminton, tennis, football, and cricket. The app is supposedly owned by Saurabh and Ravi Uppal, who live in Dubai. The company is run from outside Dubai — where gambling is allowed, on the other hand, gambling is outlawed in India.