Actor and fitness influencer Sahil Khan was apprehended by Mumbai police on Sunday in connection with the Mahadev betting app case. After a 40-hour-long chase spanning across five states, he was finally arrested from a hotel in Chhattisgarh's Jagdalpur and brought back to Mumbai. Khan has been remanded to police custody until May 1.
The 47-year-old evaded capture for over forty hours, constantly changing locations and at times switching off his mobile phone to avoid detection. The Mumbai Police are investigating a scam worth approximately Rs 15,000 crore linked to the illegal Mahadev betting app, which is also under scrutiny by the Enforcement Directorate for money laundering and hawala transactions.
Khan embarked on a journey spanning multiple states after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by a Mumbai court on April 25. Starting from Goa, he made stops in Karnataka and Hyderabad before heading towards the Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra border, navigating through Naxal-hit regions to evade authorities.
Despite efforts to conceal his identity by wearing masks and using towers to cover his face, Khan's chase culminated in his arrest in Jagdalpur. He is accused of promoting applications like The Lion Book app, associated with the Mahadev betting network, on social media and attending events in the UAE related to the app launch.
Furthermore, Khan allegedly became a partner in a betting app named Lotus 24/7, which facilitated illegal online betting, leading to substantial profits. Following his arrest, Khan was produced in court and remanded to police custody until May 1.
