Actress Tamannaah Bhatia finds herself embroiled in controversy as reports have revealed that she has been summoned in connection with promoting a subsidiary app of the Mahadev online gaming and betting application. Her name surfaced in the illegal IPL matches streaming case, alongside reports linking veteran actor Sanjay Dutt to the same case.
“Maharashtra Cyber summons actor Tamannaah Bhatia for questioning in connection with the illegal streaming of IPL 2023 on Fairplay App that caused loss of Crores of Rupees to Viacom. She has been asked to appear before Maharashtra Cyber on 29th April,” ANI shared on X.
The post further went on to add, “Actor Sanjay Dutt was also summoned in this connection on 23rd April but he had not appeared before them. He had, instead, sought a date and time for recording his statement and said that he was not in India on the date.”
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The two actors are allegedly involved in promoting and endorsing the betting exchange platform. After the FIR, several stars including Badshah, Jacqueline Fernandez, among others, were called in for questioning related to the case.
In case you’re not aware, FairPlay is a part of the Mahadev online gaming app, which hosts illegal betting on different live games. The app is a platform for betting where people can gamble on various sports and entertainment events for leisure. Cricket is the most popular sport on the app, followed by Football and Tennis. All the matches are live streamed so that it’s convenient for players to “watch and win at the same time,” as the website itself suggests.
As per a report by the Times of India, back in September 2023, an FIR was filed after Viacom18 complained that they hold the Intellectual Property Rights for streaming the IPL matches. Irrespective of this, FairPlay was illegally streaming the matches on their platform. This resulted in a loss of over Rs 100 crore for Viacom18.
Earlier this year, the Enforcement Directorate made its ninth arrest in connection with the investigation into the money laundering case related to the alleged illegal activities of the app. The case purportedly involves politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh.
