Mumbai: Police arrest actor Sahil Khan in betting app scam

Actor Sahil Khan being produced before a special court, in Dadar. Pics/Ashish Raje

The Mumbai police arrested actor and influencer Sahil Khan for his alleged involvement in the Mahadev betting application case. However, Khan stated that he hadn't even received the payment of R3 lakh per month for promoting the Mahadev betting application on his Instagram account.

In 2023, the Mumbai Crime Branch sent a summons to actor Sahil Khan and three other actors to appear for questioning in the Mahadev betting application case. However, Khan didn't show up and continued to post videos on social media. Sahil Khan also posted a picture of himself in a pool with the caption, "Good morning, Jumma Mubarak."

The Crime Branch, Special Investigation Team (SIT) discovered that the actor had fled to Chhattisgarh. A 40-hour-long operation was conducted and the actor was arrested in Chhattisgarh and taken into custody. So far, the SIT team has arrested 32 people involved in the betting application scam.

Khan filed an application in the high court to obtain anticipatory bail, however, the court rejected his application. He was produced in court and remanded to four days of police custody until May 1.

Actor Sahil Khan's lawyer Mujahid Ansari

Speaking to mid-day, Khan's advocate, Mujahid Ansari, said, "My client is a victim and is not involved in the Mahadev betting application. He received a contract from the agencies only to promote the appon his Instagram page. An agreement was made with the agencies wherein my client would receive a salary of R3 lakh per month for 24 months. However, my client didn't receive any amount. He is a victim, and the cops should release him and lift all charges against him."

"Actors usually get paid for publicising such products, and this is conducted with a signed agreement. While promoting the appKhan also agreed with the agency that he would not be responsible for any damages or losses," advocate Ansari added.

According to the police, Khan has changed his location multiple times in an attempt to evade the cops. He has reportedly been in Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gadhchiroli, and Chhattisgarh.

Police discovered that the government has lost approximately Rs 15,000 crore in taxes because they were not paid through the Mahadev betting application.

Rs 3L
Amount paid to Sahil Khan to promote the app

What is the Mahadev betting app scam?

On January 1, 2019, the Mahadev Betting application was launched on many portals, and millions of people signed up. The accused used many celebrities to promote it on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Google pages. On this application, people across the country placed online bets on sports like cricket, football, tennis, casino games, and teen patti. However, the accused who was running the betting application evaded taxes.