After being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the online Mahadev Book app case, Nitish Diwan has been sent to three days of judicial custody in jail. Special Judge Ajay Singh Rajput issued this order on Monday. He was arrested by ED earlier this month and was presented in Raipur Court on February 24.

Saurabh Pandey, the special public prosecutor for the ED, explained that following the end of Nitish Diwan’s eight-day remand on February 17, Diwan, a resident of Vaishali Nagar in Bhilai was presented in a special court last Saturday. Due to the vacation of Judge Ajay Singh Rajput, in his absence, Judge Vandana Deepak Devangan ordered Diwan to be sent to jail for three days of judicial custody, reported Naidunia.

On Monday, Nitish was again brought from jail to court, where Judge Ajay Singh Rajput approved the ED’s application for three days of further interrogation. Nitish will now be presented in court on Wednesday.

In the gambling case, notices were issued by the special court to the 13 accused to appear in court on Saturday and Monday. This includes Mahadev app promoter Vishal Ahuja, Dheeraj Ahuja, Poonaram Varma, Shivkumar Varma, Yashoda Varma, Pawan Natthani, Rohit Gulati, Anil Agarwal, Shubham Soni, and two others. However, none of the accused appeared in court, so all have been issued another notice to appear on April 6.

The ED team seized a total of Rs. 572.41 crore worth of movable property during the investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002, while assets worth Rs. 142.86 crore have been attached. The prosecution filed two complaints in this case on October 20, 2023, and January 1, 2024. So far, nine accused have been arrested.

The Mahadev app, which has been at the centre of this legal storm, emerged as a prominent online platform for gambling activities. Allegations against the app’s promoters suggest a complex network facilitating high-stakes betting, drawing attention not only for its financial implications but also for the potential societal impact. With millions of users reportedly engaged in its operations, the case has raised concerns about the regulation of online gambling and the enforcement of relevant laws to curb illegal activities in the digital space.