Tamannaah Bhatia summoned in illegal IPL streaming case

Indian actor Tamannaah Bhatia has been summoned in connection with the promotion of a subsidiary app of Mahadev online gaming and betting application, sources said on Thursday.

The actor has been summoned by the Maharashtra cyber cell for allegedly promoting the viewing of the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches on the Fairplay betting app.

Ms Bhatia, who has acted in films like 'Baahubali' and 'Lust Stories 2', has been summoned as a witness and asked to appear before the cyber cell next week, reports NDTV.

Some IPL matches were streamed illegally on the app, as per the complaint by a broadcaster.

The Maharashtra Cyber Cell has already recorded statements of singer Badshah and the managers of actors Sanjay Dutt and Jacqueline Fernandez in the case.

FairPlay Betting App

FairPlay is a betting exchange platform that offers a wide variety of sports and entertainment leisure gambling.

According to the app's website, Cricket is the most loved sport on FairPlay, followed by Football and Tennis.

All sports matches are streamed live on FairPlay for the player's ease to "watch and win at the same time", the website said.

FairPlay's Mahadev Betting App Connection

FairPlay is a subsidiary application of the Mahadev online gaming app, which also provides platforms for illegal betting in different live games like Cricket, Poker, Badminton, Tennis, Football card games, and chance games.

The Mahadev betting app made headlines last year when actors Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, who have appeared in ads for the app, were summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning.

The app came under the crosshairs of probe agencies after a ₹ 200-crore wedding in the UAE in February last year, paid for entirely in cash.

Mahadev Online betting app was operated by Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal from Dubai. Both of them belong to Chhattisgarh's Bhilai.

The company used to get new customers by regularly creating new websites and closed groups on chat apps. They would often run paid advertisements on social media apps and try to get people to text their numbers to earn profits.

The ED, which has now been investigating the Mahadev app-linked money laundering case for more than a year, alleged in the past that its probe has shown involvement of various high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh.

The projected proceeds of crime in this case are about ₹ 6,000 crore, according to the ED.