Pune rural police arrested 96 individuals in a raid conducted in connection with the Mahadev Betting App case in Narayangaon, Pune district. The raid was conducted in a private apartment after links to Pune were discovered during investigations in various foreign countries and other Indian states, as reported by the Hindustan Times.

A team of Pune rural police acted on these new discoveries and raided the building. By 8 PM on Wednesday, 96 people were arrested. The police are still searching for two prime suspects, Raj Bokaria and Rutvik Kothari. According to the police, all those arrested were working in a call center for the Mahadev Betting app.

Pankaj Deshmukh, Superintendent of Police for Pune district said, “We have summoned over 90 individuals, including a local, for questioning, and the process of initiating legal proceedings is underway”. He emphasized the scale of the scam, stating that the full extent and all those involved would be revealed during the investigations.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been investigating the Mahadev online book for running a large illegal gambling operation. The platform allowed betting on various games, including poker, card games, cricket, badminton, tennis, and even Indian elections. It also offered games like ‘Teen Patti,’ ‘Dragon Tiger,’ and virtual cricket matches. The platform has been accused of fixing matches, laundering money using cryptocurrency, and ensuring the operators profited while players incurred losses.

According to the ED, the estimated proceeds of crime in the Mahadev betting app case amount to approximately ₹6,000 crore. Mahadev online book ran websites and private chat groups, actively enticing people into illegal betting. The ED’s investigation extended to questioning politicians and Bollywood celebrities about their involvement in the scam.