According to Mumbai Police, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has seized actor and renowned fitness connoisseur Sahil Khan in connection with the infamous Mahadev betting app case. This news reaches us days post Bombay High Court’s rebuff on Khan’s plea for anticipatory bail. The high court stated that Khan showed a direct association with the contentious online betting application.

Accused as one among many in the FIR transferred to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), he claimed that his celebrity status meant he only endorsed brands, including ‘The Lion Book’, relying on an Influencer Engagement Agreement from February 21, 2022, signed with M/s Isports247 – a professional sports management firm.

But Justice SV Kotwal from a single-judge bench dismissed this claim.

Categorizing the whole operation as illegal involving millions of dollars, Justice Kotwal pointed out the creation of fabricated bank accounts and an immense use of false SIM cards stating that Khan is directly involved with ‘The Lion Book247’ App. Evidence gathered by EOW revealed about 67 such betting websites operating from overseas locations.

“Our investigations uncovered over 2,000 fraudulent SIM cards procured through bogus documents used to deceive individuals into placing bets across various games”, stated by court while adding that more than 1,700 falsified bank accounts were utilized for money collection and withdrawal which was then mysteriously funneled through Hawala channels along with cryptocurrency.

With its origins traced back to Matunga Police Department in November 2023 based on activist Prakash Bankar’s complaint; he alleged numerous web portals were created specifically for online betting activities like cricket gambling using “teen patti” etc., where even popular sports like football and tennis weren’t spared.