Breaking | ED arrests Nitin Tiberewal and Amit Agrawal in Mahadev App case

Mahadev betting app case update: In a major success for the Indian law-enforcement agencies,  the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested two new suspects in the Mahadev betting app case, sources said on Saturday, January 11. The ones arrested have been identified as Nitin Tiberewal and Amit Agrawal. 

Nitin Tibrewal, a resident of Kolkata, and Raipur-based Amit Agrawal were taken into custody under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and produced before a special court in Raipur on Friday, ED lawyer Saurabh Pandey said. The court sent them to ED custody till January 17, he said. Tibrewal is alleged to be a "close associate" of an accused in the case, Vikash Chapparia.

He is alleged to have purchased some "undisclosed" properties in Dubai and a majority shareholder in an FPI company in which Chapparia is also a shareholder, ED sources said. The agency suspects these assets were bought using the "proceeds of crime" generated from the profits of Mahadev app.

Amit Agrawal, the sources said, is a relative of another accused in the case, Anil Kumar Agrawal. Amit Agrawal is alleged to have received Mahadev app funds from Anil Kumar Agrawal and his (Amit Agrawal's) wife is said to have purchased many properties along with Anil Dammani, another accused in the case.

Two Dubai-based immovable assets, a flat and a plot, worth Rs 99.46 crore belonging to Chhapparia and Anil Agrawal were attached by the ED last year.

The agency had earlier arrested alleged cash courier Asim Das, police constable Bheem Singh Yadav, ASI Chandrabhushan Verma, alleged hawala operator brothers Anil and Sunil Dammani and a man identified as Satish Chandrakar in this case.

The agency had earlier said that the alleged illegal funds generated by the app were used to pay bribes to politicians and bureaucrats in the state.

In multiple tapes that Republic TV scooped, a man claiming to be Shubham Soni - owner of the Mahadev app - had revealed the alleged involvement of the former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. 

The tape also shows Shubham Soni in Dubai. Soni can be seen claiming how he was allegedly asked by the Chief Minister to shift operations to Dubai. Earlier, Soni had claimed that he had paid Rs 508 crore to the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister. Latest revelations have raised the heat on the Congress party and Baghel government in the state.

(With agency inputs)