Indian probe agencies are aggressively pursuing with UAE authorities the extradition of Mahadev online betting app co-founder Ravi Uppal, from Dubai, after successfully bringing back the mastermind, Sourabh Chandrakar, from Oman on Sunday, officials said.
Uppal, who escaped from India to Dubai in 2019 but fled the UAE city sometime last year, is believed to have returned. A resident of Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, he is among the 116 accused people named by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that is probing the ₹6,000 crore racket. He is the co-owner of Mahadev Online Book – the betting app – and ran the head office along with Chandrakar, according to ED’s case documents earlier accessed by HT.
“We have information that Ravi Uppal is now back in Dubai. The proceedings for his extradition are currently underway and we are aggressively pushing for his return as soon as possible. If both Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal are in our custody, we can unravel the entire conspiracy and identify all the beneficiaries here,” an ED officer said, seeking anonymity.
Also read | Mahadev case: Promoter brought back from Oman
{{/usCountry}}Also read | Mahadev case: Promoter brought back from Oman
{{/usCountry}}Explaining Uppal’s role in the scam, a second officer, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “While Chandrakar ran the promotions and operations for the business, Uppal handled hawala deliveries of hundreds of crores. He is also the main person who liaised with politicians in Chhattisgarh.”
Besides Uppal, ED is also trying to get hold of another accused Vikash Chhaparia in Dubai, the officials said.
In its six chargesheets filed so far, the central agency has claimed that bribes were paid to politicians, including former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, and bureaucrats in the state by the Mahadev promoters. Baghel has repeatedly denied the allegations against him and his role in the case.
In his late 40s, Uppal, along with Chandrakar, fled India in 2019. An Interpol red notice was issued against him in October 2023, and he was subsequently taken into custody in Dubai two months later. In January 2024, ED sent an extradition request against him to the UAE but learnt that he was released within 45 days of his detention.
HT exclusively reported on November 4 last year that Uppal had fled the UAE to an unknown location. Indian agencies had intelligence that he was residing in Vanuatu, of which he now holds a passport. Sometime this year, Chandrakar also managed to flee from UAE to Oman.
On Sunday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and other agencies successfully extradited Chandrakar from Oman, officials said. Based on an Interpol red notice, he was located in Muscat and detained by Royal Omani police in late June.
Also read | UAE move may delay India’s bid to extradite Mahadev app kingpin
“CBI, in coordination with other central agencies has successfully secured the extradition of Sourabh Chandrakar, the promoter of the Mahadev App illegal betting syndicate, from the Sultanate of Oman. A CBI team specially deputed to Oman, has escorted him back to India. He will now be produced before the CBI special court in Raipur,” a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
Chandrakar is scheduled to be produced before a special court in Raipur on Monday. ED is also likely to take his custody soon.
According to officials, the illegal betting operations are still running across India despite the government banning multiple platforms and apps linked to Mahadev.
ED has claimed that Mahadev app’s systematic operation ran locally with the “active support and connivance” of local police and politicians from Chhattisgarh and that “the bureaucrats and politically exposed persons have been receiving illegal gratification for turning a blind eye to this illegal betting racket”.