ED seizes ₹3.12 cr, allegedly meant for a political party, from MOB courier

ED intercepted the courier at a Raipur hotel, following an intelligence input about a “large amount of cash” allegedly being moved in Chhattisgarh by the promoters of MOB, Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal. Agency sources said, it was in connection with upcoming assembly elections

Mumbai The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized cash of ₹3.12 crore in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, allegedly sent through courier by the Dubai-based promoters of the Mahadev Open Book (MOB) platform. It was allegedly sent from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by the promoters specifically to deliver the amount for the election expenses of a political party, agency sources said.

Search operations were carried out in Raipur on Thursday afternoon. The cash – “for electioneering expenses” -- was seized from the courier’s vehicle outside the hotel. (HT Photo)

ED intercepted the courier at a Raipur hotel, following an intelligence input about a “large amount of cash” allegedly being moved in Chhattisgarh by the promoters of MOB, Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal. Agency sources said, it was in connection with upcoming assembly elections.

Search operations were carried out in Raipur on Thursday afternoon. The cash – “for electioneering expenses” -- was seized from the courier’s vehicle outside the hotel.

Apart from this, ₹1.8 crore was also allegedly recovered by ED from the courier’s hideout in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. A few benami bank accounts allegedly belonging to MOB were also identified in which around ₹10 crore was found and subsequently seized.

The agency is probing the role of some public servants in connection with the seizure of the cash and bank deposits, sources said. Searches are to reach the beneficiaries of the cash.

Last month, ED had submitted its charge sheet in its probe against MOB, naming 14 accused including the two promoters. The agency has approached Interpol to issue red corner notices to apprehend Chandrakar and Uppal.

The ED charge sheet also included as accused four persons arrested in Chhattisgarh in August, including an assistant sub-inspector of police, Chandrabhushan Verma, panel operator Satish Chandrakar, and hawala operators Anil Dammani and Sunil Dammani. It started the investigations based on cases registered by Chhattisgarh and Visakhapatnam police.

The arrested police officer allegedly named functionaries in the Chhattisgarh office of a public servant and also gave a breakup of payments to many senior police officers, according to the ED charge sheet. These revelations are being investigated, sources said.

Mahadev allegedly began its operation in 2019-20, but its reach among users soared during the pandemic in 2020 and continued to grow, according to the charge sheet. The online platform has several agents or franchise owners across the country, including Mumbai and parts of Maharashtra, it said.