Mumbai, Apr 28: The Mumbai cyber cell's SIT on Sunday arrested actor Sahil Khan in connection with the Mahadev betting app case, a police official here said.

The actor was apprehended from Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh on Saturday after the Bombay High Court rejected his pre-arrest bail plea, he said.

He was subsequently brought to Mumbai and placed under arrest, the official said.

Khan was recently questioned by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed in connection with the case.

The actor, known for films like ‘Style’ and ‘Excuse Me’, has become a fitness expert.

The Mumbai police had earlier arrested one person in connection with the case, the official said.

Khan is the second person to be arrested by the city police in the case, he said.

The SIT has been conducting a probe into the alleged illegal transactions between certain financial and real estate firms in the state and the promoters of the controversial Mahadev betting app.

The size of the scam is about Rs 15,000 crore, as per the first information report (FIR) registered by the Matunga police here in the case.

An investigation is underway against Khan and 31 other individuals. The probe involves examining their bank accounts, mobile phones, laptops, and all technical equipment, according to the police.

While the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating money laundering angle in the Mahadev betting app case, Mumbai police have registered a separate case against 32 persons.

Notably, Chhattisgarh’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)/Economic Offence Wing (EOW) on April 24 said it has arrested two persons - from New Delhi and Goa - in connection with the alleged illegal operations of the Mahadev online gaming and betting application that purportedly involved senior politicians and bureaucrats from that state.

The ED has separately arrested nine persons so far as part of its probe in the money laundering-linked case.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI): The Ministry of Defence on Sunday cautioned that a "misleading" message is doing the rounds on WhatsApp claiming that the government has opened a bank account seeking donation for modernisation of the Indian Army.

In a statement, the ministry debunked the message and urged people to "remain cautious and not fall prey to such fraudulent messages".

"There is a misleading message doing the rounds on WhatsApp pertaining to donation to a particular bank account for the modernisation of the Indian Army and for the soldiers injured or killed in action," the statement said.

The message being circulated erroneously quotes a "Cabinet decision" to this effect and invokes the name of actor Akshay Kumar as being the "prime mover" of the proposal, the ministry flagged.

"The account details in the said message are wrong, leading to online donations getting dishonoured," it said.

The ministry said the government has "initiated several welfare schemes for soldiers killed or disabled during active combat operations".

"In 2020, the government instituted 'Armed Forces Battle Casualty Welfare Fund' which is utilised for grant of immediate financial assistance to the families of soldiers/sailors/airmen who lay down their lives or get grievously injured in active military operations," it said.

The Indian Army, on behalf of the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence maintains the accounts for the fund. Contribution can be made directly in the account of Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund, it added.

The PIB Fact Check also alerted people about this "misleading" message with a post on X.

"A WhatsApp message is going around claiming that government has opened a bank account for the modernization of the Indian Army. #PIBFactCheck This claim is MISLEADING. The bank account mentioned in the message is NOT meant for modernization of Indian Army or for purchase of weapons," it posted on X.

"Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund was created to provide immediate financial assistance to the families of soldiers who have sacrificed their lives or were injured during military operations," it added in its post and also shared a screenshot of the message with the word "misleading" stamped on it.