FPJ Exclusive: Bollywood Celebs Waived Off Their Fee For Betting Tips On Mahadev App

Mumbai: In the Mahadev betting app case, the Mumbai police have unearthed the deep link between Saurabh Chandrakar and Bollywood celebrities. According to the FIR registered by the complainant, RTI activist Prakash Bankar, several Bollywood actors and actresses are linked with Chandrakar through their betting expert, known as ‘Tipper’.

The ‘Tipper’ is the person responsible for providing betting tips to celebrities operating on Mahadev or its subsidiary betting apps. Bankar has raised the suspicion that in exchange for crores of rupees in profit from betting tips, Bollywood actors and actresses were obliged to work in Tipper’s movies, albums and participating in his events and reality shows. Further, many celebrities were ready to work for Tipper for free or at significantly reduced prices, Bankar has alleged.

Who Is The Tipper?

In the FIR, the complainant has alleged that Tipper is none other than Bollywood producer-director Waseem Qureshi, who has his own production house, ‘Qureshi Production Private Limited’. According to the complaint, he is a wellknown tipster in the betting world and is currently working with Chandrakar. Qureshi handles the marketing of the Mahadev betting app and its other subsidiary betting apps. A few days ago, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the Qureshi production house and the premises of its board of directors. Qureshi was questioned by the ED and his travel details and financial records were being vetted by the agency.

He reportedly shares betting information and all tips related to bets through the Telegram app, amassing lakhs of followers for every match-related tip. The complainant has contended that despite Qureshi earning not more than Rs 60 lakhs per year through these betting operations, he is currently handling numerous projects. This raises doubts as to why A-list celebrities are participating in his movies, albums and promotion activities, despite being aware of his limited financial resources. Bankar suspects that celebrities may be eyeing him for betting tips, hoping to earn crores of rupees in the short-term.

Doubts Raised On Qureshi's Income

Questions have been raised about the film projects, reality shows and albums associated with Qureshi and celebrities linked to him over the past few years. Notably, last year, Qureshi had announced a period film on Shivaji Maharaj, for which he signed Akshay Kumar for lead role and Mahesh Manjrekar as a director.

The complainant points out Qureshi’s involvement in the reality show ‘Mister and Miss 7 States’ for MTV with Sonu Sood, Mugdha Godse, Rohit Khandelwal, and the launch of the album ‘Teri Rooh’ with Shakti Arora; also his association with social media influencer Nisha Guragai. Additionally, he had launched the album ‘Rail me Dhakke Laage Se’ with singer Renuka Panwar. Bankar states that all these projects and the celebrities associated with them are under suspicion due to Qureshi’s income and investment in the projects and shows.