New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) intensified its investigation into the Mahadev online betting app money laundering case with a series of raids conducted across several states, including Odisha.

Search operations were carried out in multiple cities such as Sambalpur, Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Chennai, and Indore. The crackdown forms part of a broader investigation into the app’s illegal operations and financial activities.

Per officials, several high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh are allegedly linked to the unlawful operations of the Mahadev app.

The ED previously described the Mahadev Online Betting (MOB) app as part of a vast illegal syndicate that facilitates online betting, generates user IDs, and launders proceeds through a network of benami bank accounts.

Adding an international angle to the case, the app’s key promoters, Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, are reportedly operating from Dubai, as stated in a press release by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

CBI, which also launched its own probe, recently carried out extensive raids at over 60 locations across Bhopal, Raipur, Kolkata, and Delhi. The raids targeted premises linked to politicians, senior bureaucrats, police officials, and others suspected of being part of the illegal betting network.

The case was initially registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in Raipur and later transferred to the CBI by the Chhattisgarh Government for a more comprehensive investigation into the roles of senior public officials and other accused individuals.

Per CBI findings, the app’s promoters allegedly paid large sums as "protection money" to public servants, enabling the smooth operation of their illicit enterprise. (WITH IANS INPUTS)