The Directorate of Enforcement’s Raipur Zonal Office (ED-RPZO) on Thursday questioned celebrity journalist, television presenter and former ‘Bigg Boss 13’ contestant Shefali Bagga in connection with its continuing money laundering investigation into the alleged Rs 6,000 crore Mahadev Online Book betting syndicate, sources familiar with the proceedings said. Bagga, a former anchor associated with ‘Aaj Tak’ and ‘Tez’ who later worked as an Indian Premier League presenter and reality television personality, was summoned under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, to record her statement. She appeared before investigators in Raipur during the morning and remained under examination at the agency office when this report was filed, sources added. The questioning follows an ED search conducted at her Delhi residence on May 30 and subsequent findings recorded in an internal investigation note.

 

The agency has alleged that Bagga used her verified social-media presence, including an Instagram account followed by nearly 5.7 million users, to direct followers towards a Telegram channel carrying live betting tips, ‘cash-out’ instructions, ‘profit book’ calls and purported proof of withdrawals linked to illegal betting applications. The note identifies the Telegram channel as having more than 24,000 subscribers. According to the investigation note, the promotional material allegedly assured users that winnings would remain beyond government intervention and income-tax scrutiny, claims the agency considers misleading and intended to lure unsuspecting players. Screenshots annexed to the note reproduce match-day betting calls, cash-out messages and a purported transaction reflecting receipt of Rs 2.70 lakh.

 

The ED has further recorded that, in her statement under Section 17 of the PMLA on May 30, Bagga allegedly acknowledged promoting betting applications through social-media accounts for monetary consideration despite knowing such promotion was unlawful. The note further states that Rs 30 lakh in cash recovered from her Delhi residence was allegedly linked to those promotional activities. These assertions form part of the agency’s investigation and have not been adjudicated by any court. Investigators have also examined the alleged role of her father, Vipin Bagga, whom the note describes as handling promotional arrangements, receipt of cash and utilisation of funds. Her brother, Shivansh Bagga, was also summoned along with her father to explain the source of the seized cash, according to the investigation record.

 

The agency is additionally probing Bagga’s alleged association with Jagdish Kumar alias Khanjan Thakkar, identified in the note as a key hawala operator linked to the Mahadev Online Book network, and Hari Shankar Tibrewal, associated with Skyexchange. Investigators suspect that celebrity-driven promotional campaigns functioned as a demand-generation layer directing users towards betting platforms whose proceeds were subsequently routed through hawala channels, shell entities and layered financial transactions. “The statement recorded will now be correlated with seized digital evidence, financial records, social-media content and statements recorded during earlier stages of the investigation to establish the nature of payments, promotional arrangements and the broader money trail linked to the alleged betting ecosystem,” knowledgeable sources privy to the grilling of Shefali Bagga under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), exclusively told ‘The Hitavada’.