Official sources stated on Wednesday that Sourabh Chandrakar, one of the promoters of the Mahadev online betting software, has been placed under “house detention” in Dubai while Indian investigative authorities, including the ED, have been “alerted” and are attempting to have him deported through diplomatic channels.
According to the sources, Chandrakar has been placed under “house detention” after the federal agency was informed of his whereabouts in Dubai.
The sources stated that Indian agencies are attempting, via diplomatic channels, to obtain the deportation or extradition of the two, who are crucial to the police investigation and money laundering probe into the purported illicit activities of the ‘Mahadev Book Online’ app, which also has political ties to Chhattisgarh and other places.
The agency had named Chandrakar and Uppal along with a few others in its initial charge sheet that was submitted to a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Raipur.
The charge sheet included a declaration from Sourabh Chandrakar’s uncle, Dilip Chandrakar, stating that prior to Sourabh moving to Dubai in 2019, he and his brother owned and operated a juice shop in Bhillai, Chhattisgarh, called “Juice Factory.”
The Enforcement Department (ED) stated that Sourabh Chandrakar married in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates in February 2023, and that over ₹200 crore “in cash” was spent on this occasion, which included hiring private aircraft to transport his relatives from India to the UAE and paying celebrities to attend.
Uppal, 43, was taken into custody in Dubai last week.
Based on the ED’s request and a non-bailable warrant granted by the court, Interpol issued a red notice against the two.
According to officials, the Mahadev Online Book App is managed from a central head office in the United Arab Emirates, as revealed by the ED probe. According to what it had stated, it makes money by franchising “Panel/Branches” to its familiar associates at a profit ratio of 70–30%.
