Mahadev betting app owner Ravi Uppal detained in Dubai, process on to deport him to India

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• Dec 13, 2023 | Dhupali Das

Mahadev betting app owner, Ravi Uppal, who is under money laundering probe has been detained in Dubai...

Digital Desk: Ravi Uppal, the owner of the Mahadev online betting app, has been detained in Dubai by local authorities based on a red corner notice issued by the Enforcement Directorate through Interpol. The anti-money laundering agency is actively working with authorities in the United Arab Emirates to facilitate Uppal's deportation to India.

Uppal, along with another promoter, Sourabh Chandrakar, is currently under investigation for money laundering by the central probe agency, following a case before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Chhattisgarh's Raipur in October. The Mumbai Police is also conducting investigations into cases against Uppal.

The Enforcement Directorate reveals that the money laundering and hawala transactions associated with the Mahadev betting platform, operated from a central head office in the UAE, have projected proceeds of crime amounting to about Rs 6,000 crore. The investigation has unveiled a sophisticated operation where the app was franchised to associates on a 70-30 profit-sharing ratio, enabling the creation of new user IDs and laundering money through a complex network of Benami bank accounts. Astonishingly, the operation generated a daily income of Rs 200 crore.

Officials have uncovered large-scale hawala operations aimed at funneling betting proceeds to offshore accounts, coupled with substantial cash expenditures in India for advertising betting websites to attract new users and franchise seekers.

Moreover, the agency alleges that Uppal and others made startling payments of about Rs 508 crore to former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel. These allegations, made by a 'cash courier' named Asim Das, are currently under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate.

The scandal has cast a wide net, with Bollywood celebrities such as Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Huma Qureshi, Kapil Sharma, Boman Irani, and Hina Khan summoned for questioning. The probe agency suspects their involvement in accepting substantial sums of cash for their participation or performances at events organized by Uppal and Chandrakar.

As the investigation unfolds, authorities are intensifying efforts to bring Uppal back to India to face charges in connection with the Mahadev online betting app scandal.