Mahadev Betting App Probe: ED Grills TV Host Shefali Bagga For Second Day Over Alleged Money Trail

Mumbai, July 17, 2026: Television host and former reality show contestant Shefali Bagga appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for a second consecutive day on Friday as investigators intensified their money laundering probe into the Mahadev Online Book betting syndicate. The questioning follows the seizure of Rs 30 lakh in cash from her Delhi residence, which the agency alleges was earned through the promotion of illegal betting applications.

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Bagga reached the ED office on Friday morning and was questioned again for several hours. Officials familiar with the development stated that the two-day interrogation focused heavily on the alleged cash payment mechanisms used for promoting the betting applications, her personal financial transactions, her extensive overseas travel, and her alleged links with key operatives of the Mahadev syndicate.

Cash Seizure Under Scrutiny

The sustained questioning stems directly from a crackdown on May 30, when the federal agency searched Bagga's Delhi residence and seized Rs 30 lakh in cash, which it alleges constitutes proceeds of crime generated through the promotion of illegal betting applications. According to the agency, Bagga admitted in her statement recorded under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following the searches that she had promoted illegal betting applications through her social media platforms despite knowing such promotions were unlawful. The agency alleged that she also acknowledged that the Rs 30 lakh seized during the searches was income earned from those promotional activities.

During those initial disclosure sessions, investigators claim Bagga shifted the operational onus to her family, stating that the administrative logistics, including the negotiation of endorsement deals, the physical receipt of cash payments and the subsequent utilisation of the money, were handled entirely by her father, Vipin Bagga. In his own recorded statement, the ED alleged, Vipin Bagga corroborated his daughter's admission, confirming he received the cash for her promotional activities and identifying the seized currency recovered during the searches as part of those alleged proceeds.

Investigation records show the ED had summoned Bagga, her father and her brother, Shivansh Bagga, to explain the source of the seized cash. While Bagga joined the investigation on Thursday after skipping three earlier summons and returned for questioning on Friday, her father and brother are yet to appear before the agency, officials said.

Alleged Links To Syndicate

According to the ED, Bagga is a close associate of Khanjan Jagdish Kumar Thakkar, whom the agency describes as a key Mahadev syndicate operative and one of its principal hawala operators. It also alleged that she was associated with H. S. Tibrewal, whom investigators identify as the kingpin of the Sky Exchange betting platform.

The agency alleged that Bagga was among the public faces used to promote illegal betting applications. Through her verified Instagram account, which has nearly 5.8 million followers, she allegedly directed users to a Telegram channel with more than 24,000 subscribers carrying betting tips, "cash-out" instructions, "profit book" calls and purported proof of withdrawals linked to betting applications.

The ED alleged that Bagga's promotional posts assured users that their betting winnings would remain beyond the reach of government agencies and income tax authorities, claims investigators say were intended to lure unsuspecting players. Screenshots reviewed by The Free Press Journal purportedly show match-day betting tips, including predictions on runs, partnerships and wickets, along with "cash-out" and "profit book" calls. One screenshot also purportedly reflects the receipt of Rs 2.70 lakh.

Probe Focuses On Money Trail

A substantial part of the two-day questioning centred on the cash payment mechanism allegedly used for the promotions. Investigators also questioned Bagga about who introduced her father to the Mahadev syndicate, how the cash payments were made and whether transfers from her bank accounts to family members, particularly her brother Shivansh Bagga, were linked to proceeds allegedly earned from promoting betting applications.

Officials said investigators also questioned Bagga about her alleged links with Khanjan Jagdish Kumar Thakkar, including when and how they first came into contact, whether they met in Dubai or London, whether her overseas travel and luxury hotel stays were financed by Thakkar or his associates, and whether she received money through the syndicate's alleged hawala network.

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The ED suspects that celebrity endorsements formed a demand-generation layer of the syndicate's operations by drawing users to betting platforms whose proceeds were later routed through hawala channels, shell companies and layered financial transactions to conceal the money trail.

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