NEW DELHI, April 17 – Indian online travel company EaseMyTrip on Thursday denied any association with the Mahadev betting app, a day after federal investigators searched the premises of its co-founder Nishant Pitti as part of a broader money laundering investigation.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), India’s financial crime agency, on Wednesday conducted searches at 55 locations across several cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Sambalpur, in connection with the Mahadev online betting case. Among the premises searched was an office of 39-year-old Pitti, who is also the chairman of EaseMyTrip, officials said.
“EaseMyTrip has no direct or indirect association with the Mahadev betting app or any other betting platform,” the company said in a statement, adding that it is cooperating with the authorities. In a stock exchange filing, EaseMyTrip said no incriminating documents or digital records were found during the search, and no seizures were made.
The ED’s latest raids follow what officials described as fresh evidence in the ongoing probe into the Mahadev network, which is accused of operating an illegal online betting platform and laundering illicit funds. Authorities have previously arrested and questioned several individuals in connection with the case, which spans multiple states and has drawn significant media attention due to its scale and alleged ties to celebrities and public figures.
