Mahadev betting app case accused held at airport, handed over to Raj cops

A key accused in the Mahadev betting app case, Mrugank Mishra, was detained at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai by security personnel on his arrival from Dubai, an official said on Monday.

Mishra is accused of helping Mahadev betting app promoters open hundreds of dubious bank accounts to divert money generated by the scam. His custody was later taken by a police team from Rajasthan, where he faces a cheating and forgery case related to the Mahadev app matter, the official said.

The 25-year-old was apprehended by security personnel at the airport after his arrival from Dubai on Saturday and handed over to the Sahar police in Mumbai. A team of the Pratapgarh police in Rajasthan came to Mumbai on Sunday and took his custody and placed him under arrest, he said.

Mishra is wanted in connection with a cheating and forgery case registered at the Pratapgarh police station related to the Mahadev betting app case and a look out circular (LOC) was issued against him, the official said. An LoC is used by authorities to restrict the movement of a person accused of a crime.

Mishra allegedly helped Mahadev app promoters open hundreds of dubious bank accounts to divert money generated from betting. He opened these bank accounts in the name of common people after promising them that they will get money from various government schemes, he said.

Originally from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, Mishra was hiding in the Gulf city for the last few months, said the official.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has previously said the Mahadev Online Book App was used to enrol new users, create IDs and launder money through a layered web of benami bank accounts.

Large-scale hawala operations were done to siphon off the proceeds of betting to off-shore accounts, the ED had said, adding the company owning the app was running operations from Dubai.