₹15,000 cr MOB app case: Court refuses bail to man who handled tech support
In the order dated September 30, sessions judge VM Pathade also held that Chaudhary’s role was distinctly different from that of co-accused actor Sahil Khan and businessman Dixit Kothari, who were both granted bail
MUMBAI: The sessions court has refused bail to Bharat Chaudhary, the third person to be arrested in the ₹15,000-crore Mahadev Online Book (MOB) case, saying he provided technical assistance for operating the betting platform after meeting its promoter Saurabh Chandrakar in Dubai in 2022, and he might tamper with evidence if released on bail.
In the order dated September 30, sessions judge VM Pathade also held that Chaudhary’s role was distinctly different from that of co-accused actor Sahil Khan and businessman Dixit Kothari, who were both granted bail.
According to the prosecution, MOB is an online platform that hosts illegal betting sites. It is promoted by the Dubai-based Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal and is involved in money laundering through benami accounts.
Chaudhary was initially booked by the Matunga police under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) pertaining to cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and under relevant sections of the Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act and the Information Technology Act. The matter was subsequently transferred to the central region cyber police station.
The prosecution submitted that Chaudhary met Chandrakar in August 2022, after which he undertook technical training in Dubai and provided technical assistance to develop and run the online betting platform.
Chaudhary’s advocate submitted that he was falsely implicated in the case, saying he was arrested at the Patan police station in Gujarat over similar allegations, and was later brought to Mumbai. Chaudhary was an ex-employee of MOB and could not be held liable for the acts of the main accused, his lawyer told the court. He also relied on the contents of the bail plea moved by Sahil Khan and Dixit Kothari, who were granted bail by the same court previously.
Reiterating the contents of the FIR, the court noted that the MOB platform was advertised on widely on social media and the proceeds of illegal betting were used in properties, hotels and other businesses in India. Bharat Chaudhary along with co-accused Harebhai Chaudhary provided technical assistance for running the platform, the court said, refusing him bail.