In Mahadev Book App case, the ED intends to provide the authorities in Dubai with the second chargesheet in order to ensure the deportation or extradition of the two primary promoters.
Source: X
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recently submitted a new charge sheet in the ongoing Mahadev betting app scam case before a special court in Raipur. In an effort to ensure the deportation or extradition of the app’s two primary promoters, Ravi Uppal and Sourabh Chandrakar, the financial crimes investigation agency will also share this second chargesheet with authorities in Dubai. This development has been reported by NDTV.
Uppal’s recent detention in Dubai, following an Interpol red notice issued by the ED, has led to this development. The federal agency has reportedly shared the contents of the initial chargesheet with UAE authorities, resulting in a non-bailable warrant against the two individuals.
On January 1, a new chargesheet, spanning approximately 1,800 pages, was filed. The accused individuals, including alleged cash courier Aseem Das, police constable Bheem Singh Yadav, and Shubham Soni, a prominent executive associated with the app, have been named in this chargesheet. The charge sheet is anticipated to be acknowledged by the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court on January 10, as stated by ED counsel Saurabh Pandey.
Furthermore, this occurrence follows PTI’s report in December, which suggested that the ED might submit a supplementary chargesheet in the matter and disclose its details to Dubai authorities in order to bolster the case against Uppal and Chandrakar and ensure their custody. Das and Yadav were apprehended by the agency in November of the previous year.
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Mahadev Betting App
The Mahadev Book online betting platform, which has been operating in India since 2017, is facing allegations of money laundering. The Enforcement Directorate has accused the platform of orchestrating match-fixing through its Mahadev and Khiladi apps. It is reported that the company has accumulated illicit funds amounting to over ₹450 crore ($57 million), with estimates suggesting that ₹5000 crore has been diverted through ‘hawala transactions’. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) has blocked the app, which was allegedly overseen by individuals based in Dubai, namely Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal.
How Mahadev App Scam got Exposed
The Mahadev betting application scandal came to light following Chandrakar’s wedding in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, in February of the previous year. The wedding ceremony was estimated to be valued at ₹200 crore, as stated in the Enforcement Directorate’s initial chargesheet in September 2023.
The entire sum of ₹200 crore spent on the wedding was reportedly paid exclusively in cash, according to the statement made by the ED. The agency revealed that wedding planners, dancers, and decorators were hired from Mumbai, and the payments were made through hawala channels using cash.
As the ED intensified its efforts to investigate the alleged scam, it uncovered connections to various celebrities, politicians, and industrialists. Consequently, the ED summoned numerous prominent figures from all corners of the country for questioning. In November, the ED claimed that Mahadev betting app promoters have allegedly paid approximately ₹508 crore to former Chhattisgarh chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, based on forensic analysis and statements provided by Asim Das.
These allegations have been described as ‘startling’ and are currently under investigation. Baghel has dismissed these charges as an attempt to tarnish his reputation, while the Congress party has labeled them as the Centre’s vindictive politics against their CM.
Uppal and Chandrakar have refuted all accusations made by the enforcement directorate and have distanced themselves from any involvement in the alleged betting scheme. Previously, the pair strongly asserted that the allegations were completely unfounded and aimed at damaging their reputation. The agency has estimated the illicit gains in this particular case to be approximately ₹6,000 crore.
