According to officials, Ravi Uppal, one of two primary owners of the Mahadev Book Betting App, was detained in Dubai based on an Interpol red corner notice issued at India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) request. The ED is seeking his extradition back home so he may face money laundering charges; they accuse Uppal and Saurabh Chandrakar – another promoter – of using the Mahadev Book Betting App to bribe bureaucrats and politicians of the former Bhupesh Baghel government in Chhattisgarh.
Who is Ravi Uppal?
The 43-year-old Ravi Uppal is supposedly the main promoter of the Mahadev Online Book online betting site. He was residing in Dubai with his business partner Chandrakar. He is from Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, and is responsible for managing the platform’s activities.
According to Indian Express, Uppal holds an engineering degree. For over two years, he and Saurabh Chandrakar have called Dubai home. Chandrakar and Uppal had travelled to Australia despite being investigated by various agencies, including the ED, for several weeks but were denied entry due to being under multiple agencies’ scrutiny. They were deported back to UAE, where they now face money laundering charges as well as having assets confiscated by the ED.
Mahadev Booking App Case
Vishal Dadlani, Tiger Shroff, Sunny Leone, Neha Kakkar, Nushrat Bharuccha, and many other celebrities were at Chandrakar’s lavish wedding in Dubai in February 2023, which drew attention to the scandal. The event reportedly cost more than INR 200 Cr.
In October this year, the Enforcement Division filed a money laundering chargesheet against Uppal and Chandrakar in Raipur under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court. According to ED allegations, Uppal facilitated the delivery of bribes for bureaucrats and politicians in Chhattisgarh through Chandrabhushan Verma (an assistant sub-inspector of police) and others. ED also alleges that Uppal obtained a passport from Vanuatu while remaining an Indian citizen; additionally, they summoned Bollywood celebrities such as Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor Boman Irani, and Kapil Sharma to question them regarding payments they allegedly received from Uppal and Chandrakar.
In November, the ED alleged that Uppal received Rs 500 crore from Mahadev Book’s promoters and distributed it among bureaucrats and politicians in Chhattisgarh. Furthermore, they allege Uppal played a crucial role in its operation and transported funds between Dubai and India.
Mahadev betting app owner Ravi Uppal detained in Dubai
The Enforcement Directorate seized assets valued at 417 crore rupees during raids on properties associated with the Mahadev betting app. Saurabh Chandrakar, who allegedly spent 200 million rupees on a wedding in Dubai and used private planes to transport Nagpur family and movie stars, is supposedly the boss of the app. The exact amount of Ravi’s wealth, however, remains unknown.
Ravi Uppal has been taken into custody by the Dubai government. He was apprehended when the Enforcement Directorate, via Interpol, issued a red corner alert. Uppal and others were allegedly involved in hawala transactions and money laundering using the Mahadev betting platform, which a central head office in the UAE controlled. The estimated proceeds of crime in this case are around Rs 6,000 crore.
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