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Mahadev Betting App Case: Main Accused Saurabh Chandrakar’s Close Aide Mrigank Mishra Held At Mumbai Airport

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Mrigank Mishra, one of the directors of the Mahadev app and a close associate of Saurabh Chandrakar, was arrested at Mumbai Airport on Saturday. A lookout notice had been issued against him in connection with the Mahadev betting app case. He had been staying in Dubai for the past two years and was arrested by the Rajasthan police with support from the Mumbai police upon arriving from Dubai. The Rajasthan police was in the picture since a case against him was filed in its jurisdiction.

Connection with Saurabh Chandrakar

According to Rajasthan police, Mishra, originally from Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, lived a lavish lifestyle. He owns a residential property in Octra Crest Apartment, located in Lokhandwala, Kandivali (East). Recently, officials from central agencies conducted a search of the flat and seized several documents. During their investigation, they discovered that very few individuals within the organization were aware of his connection with Saurabh Chandrakar.

Rajasthan Police investigations have further revealed that Mishra managed to open over 1600 accounts for Mahadev app betting transactions. Initially, they identified and froze 90 accounts only,in which 68 had transactions totaling more than 2000 crore rupees. This substantial transaction amount is associated with IPL 2023 edition betting, involving funds received  in these accounts from betting and withdrawals for hawala.

Amit Kumar, SP of Rajasthan, stated, ‘We are examining other accounts to obtain a clear estimate and understand the total amount of betting that was transferred to these accounts.’

Significant role in Mahadev betting app syndicate

According to Rajasthan police, Mishra played a significant role in the Mahadev betting app syndicate. His primary responsibility was to arrange bank accounts and SIM cards for accepting bets and processing transactions. Mishra, with the help of a local syndicate in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, and several other states, completed these tasks with minimal investments. He typically targeted individuals from lower-income classes, including vegetable sellers, shopkeepers, and daily wage workers. Gaining their trust by invoking various government schemes, Mishra would assist them in opening multiple accounts and obtaining several SIM cards using these individuals’ documents. These SIM cards and bank account details were provided to the associated panel operators of the Mahadev app.

These panel operators were, in fact, partners or associates of Saurabh Chandrakar, who is involved with the Mahadev betting app. These operators used the acquired SIM cards to accept bets from individuals, and the bank accounts to process the bet amounts and facilitate money transfers through Hawala channels to the UAE. These fake accounts were used to receive betting amounts for various T-20 series, IPL, and other league matches from various countries.

Complex betting, hawala operation using fake bank accounts

In May 2023, a case involving the Mahadev betting app came to light when a nationalized bank reported suspicious transactions across several accounts. The Rajasthan police initiated an investigation, which revealed a complex betting and Hawala operation using fake bank accounts. Among these accounts, 68 had transactions totaling more than 2000 crore rupees, primarily related to IPL betting matches. The police seized these accounts, which contained around 4 crore rupees.

What made this case even more concerning was that the victims were unaware that these bank accounts were opened and operated in their names.

Crime

Mumbai: Speeding Dumper Hits 2 Bikers Near Birla Centurion Mill, One Killed

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Mumbai: A tragic accident occurred in Worli, where a speeding dumper rammed into two bikers, killing one on the spot. The deceased has been identified as Rohan Gupta (21), while the other rider, Sanket Virendrakumar Sharma (21), sustained serious injuries. Based on Sharma’s complaint, the N.M. Joshi Marg Police have registered a case against the dumper driver, Darshan Subhash Kasdekar (27) and arrested him. Further investigation is underway.

According to the N.M. Joshi Marg Police, the accident took place around 9:30 PM on January 30 near Birla Centurion Mill Gate No. 01 to 07. Complainant Sanket Sharma and his friend Rohan Gupta were riding a bike on Pandurang Budhkar Marg when a speeding and negligent dumper driver hit them near Birla Centurion Mill. The impact threw both riders off their bike, causing severe injuries. Gupta succumbed to his injuries on the spot, while Sharma survived with serious wounds. The police have registered a case and are continuing their investigation.

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Crime

Bengal Governor hints at taking up RG Kar case with Amit Shah

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Kolkata, Jan 31: West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose might take up the complaints of the parents of the victim in the R.G. Kar rape and murder case regarding the entire line of investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with the office of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

A statement issued from the office of the Governor on Friday hinted at this.

The statement comes a day after the victim’s parents, on Thursday evening, went to Raj Bhavan in Kolkata and had a long meeting with the Governor.

“The parents expressed their plight and requested justice. They requested the Hon’ble Governor to present their petition to the Hon’ble President and Hon’ble Union Home Minister, to whom they have already submitted their petition. The Hon’ble Governor assured to take necessary action,” read the statement issued from the Governor’s office in the morning.

As per the statement, the Governor also assured the victim’s parents that they were not alone in this grief and that justice in the matter would be done.

The indication from the office of the Governor comes just a day after the state president of BJP in West Bengal and the Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumdar, on Thursday, gave a somewhat similar assurance on the matter.

Majumdar, on Thursday afternoon, went to the residence of the victim’s parents and had a long meeting with them.

During the meeting, the victim’s parents claimed to have explained to Majumdar why they were unhappy with the entire investigation by the CBI. They also explained why they are against the death penalty for the sole convict in the case, Sanjay Roy.

The victim’s parents reportedly highlighted the observations made by a special court in Kolkata on the lapses in investigation by the central agency.

Confirming this, Majumdar told media persons that the victim’s parents had pointed out certain observations by the special court.

Majumdar also said the victim’s parents had complaints against one particular investigating officer.

“They have updated me on the matter and I assured them of communicating their grievances to the appropriate authorities,” Majumdar said.

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Crime

RG Kar financial case: Calcutta HC nixes Sandip Ghosh’s plea for more time before framing of charges

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Kolkata, Jan 31: The Calcutta High Court on Friday rejected the plea of the former principal of R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, seeking additional time before the process of framing of charges against him starts in connection with the financial irregularities in the institute.

On January 28, Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to complete the process of charge-framing in the case by February 6 following which the trial could start.

However, on Friday, Ghosh’s counsel filed a petition at the same single-judge bench seeking additional time before the beginning of the trial process.

However, Justice Ghosh rejected the petition and observed that there had been a systematic delay in the beginning of the trial process in the matter.

Justice Ghosh also observed that despite CBI filing a chargesheet in November last year, there had been a delay in the beginning of the trial process.

Initially, the process of framing a charge against Ghosh could not be started because of the non-availability of a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the state government, which is mandatory for charge-framing and the beginning of the trial process against any state government employee.

However, on January 28, the CBI counsel informed Justice Ghosh’s bench that finally they secured the NOC from the state government, which cleared the decks for completing the process of charge framing and the beginning of the trial process.

Thereafter, Justice Ghosh directed CBI to complete the process of charge framing by February 6.

Besides CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also conducting a parallel probe in the case of financial irregularities at R. G. Kar.

While CBI started its investigation following an order by the Calcutta High Court, ED made a suo motu entry to investigate the money laundering angle after filing an enforcement case information report (ECIR).

Altogether five persons, including Ghosh, his assistant-cum- bodyguard Afsar Alir, private contractors Biplab Sinha and Suman Hazra and a junior doctor Ashish Pandey, have been named by CBI in its chargesheet. All of them are in judicial custody now.

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