New Delhi: EaseMyTrip promoter Nishant Pitti co-sponsored the Road Safety Cricket Series held in India in 2022 with the promoter of betting platform SkyExchange, Hari Shankar Tibrewal, and had his own betting ID on the platform, the Enforcement Directorate has alleged in its prosecution complaint.
The agency has also alleged that Pitti actively helped Tibrewal route his illicit funds amounting to Rs 60 crore into EaseMyTrip by selling shares of his online travel firm through the Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) route.
The agency made these allegations in its sixth prosecution complaint (chargesheet) into the network of accused involved in the illegal betting application Mahadev Online Book.
In the latest chargesheet, the agency submitted that the Mahadev Online Book application was still in operation and running a large number of panels. It calculated that Rs 75,000-Rs 80,000 in proceeds of crime were generated over the seven years of the app’s operations.
The agency had filed the chargesheet earlier this month before a special PMLA court in Raipur against Pitti as well as EBIX group chairman Vikas Garg, among others. A former member of the Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Garg was arrested in July as part of a probe into the Mahadev Online Book.
The federal probe agency had opened a money laundering case based on dozens of FIRs registered by the police in Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and other states for alleged illegal gambling.
The ED has alleged that Mahadev promoters Sourav Chandarkar and Ravi Uppal from Chhattisgarh’s Bhilai district set up Mahadev Online Book during the Covid-19 pandemic and created a web of online gambling and pyramid schemes to siphon off funds.
According to the ED, money “duped” from people who joined the platform in the name of games was diverted to Uppal and Chandrakar through hawala channels.
Mahadev Online Book provides a platform for allegedly illegal betting on live games including poker, other card and chance games, as well as virtual cricket, badminton, tennis, and football. It also allows visitors to play card games like teen patti, poker and ‘Dragon Tiger’, among others.
In the chargesheet, the agency has alleged that Pitti entered into a pre-arranged stock price-manipulation deal with Amardeep Sharma, identified as an associate of Tibrewal, to artificially inflate the share price and market capitalisation of Easy Trip Planners Ltd—the parent company of EaseMyTrip.
“Subsequent to this deal, Hari Shankar Tibrewal’s front FPI entity, AG Dynamic Funds, purchased a total of 1,51,50,866 shares of Easy Trip Planners Ltd. worth approximately Rs. 59.60 crore,” the agency alleged in the chargesheet.
It also claimed that Pitti had admitted to such arrangements in his statement record under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
The agency attached properties owned by EaseMyTrip’s parent company on the day the chargesheet was filed before the court.
Pitti told ThePrint he was unaware of a chargesheet against him and had not received any summons from the court. He said that he would continue to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and submit evidence to establish his bona fide conduct.
“I am not aware of any chargesheet, nor have I been summoned by the jurisdictional court. Hence, I have nothing to say on the matter. I have always cooperated with and shall continue to cooperate with all law enforcement bodies. I shall submit detailed evidence to establish my bona fide conduct, in accordance with the procedure prescribed by law,” Pitti wrote to ThePrint in a WhatsApp text.
“I have always strived to uphold the highest standards of governance and ethics in my professional and personal dealings. All my transactions comply with applicable laws, and all my assets have been obtained from lawful sources of income and through formal banking channels.”
Moreover, the agency alleged that evidence obtained from Prashant Bagri, identified as an agent of Tibrewal, confirmed that he was in constant contact with Pitti regarding EaseMyTrip’s ownership.
“Furthermore, M/s Easy Trip Planners Ltd. co-sponsored the Road Safety Cricket Series in India in 2022 along with Hari Shankar Tibrewal’s illegal betting platform ‘Skyexchange’, further proving their close operational nexus,” the agency alleged in the chargesheet.
ThePrint has reached out to Tibrewal’s lawyer, Naman Joshi, for a comment. This report will be updated if and when it is received.
Played between September and October 2022, the Road Safety Cricket Series was organised by Mumbai-based event management firm Majestic Legends Sports Private Limited (MLSPL).
The earnings from the tournament were to be spent on a road safety awareness campaign. Eight teams took part in the competition, with legends of the game such as Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, and Suresh Raina participating.
ThePrint has also reached out to MLSPL for a comment. This report will be updated when it responds.
The digital evidence from Bagri’s laptop also allegedly led agency sleuths to an active Skyexchange ID for Pitti, which the agency alleged is proof of his involvement in the betting syndicate.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)