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In a significant move, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at 15 locations across Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and various places in West Bengal. This operation is part of the ongoing money laundering probe related to the Mahadev Online betting app case. The ED’s actions follow the recent arrest of Nitish Diwan, a close associate of the main promoters Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal.
The enforcement agency’s raids, occurring around 11 days after Nitish Diwan’s arrest, target locations associated with the Mahadev Online betting app. Diwan is known to be a close aide of the main promoters, Chandrakar and Uppal. The case has implicated high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh.
With nine individuals already in custody, the focus now shifts to Chandrakar and Uppal, currently detained in Dubai. Interpol red notices, at the behest of the ED, led to their apprehension. The agency is actively working to have them deported or extradited to India, with a formal request already submitted.
The ED, in its charge sheet, alleges that Chandrakar spent about ₹200 crore in cash for his wedding in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, in February 2023. Private jets transported his relatives, and celebrities were reportedly paid to perform. The agency contends that the illegal funds generated through the Mahadev app were used to pay bribes to politicians and bureaucrats in Chhattisgarh, the home state of the app’s main promoters.
The ED has summoned several celebrities and Bollywood actors to probe their connections with the online betting platform and the methods of payment. Two charge sheets have already been filed in the case, outlining the alleged criminal proceeds at around ₹6,000 crore. The investigation sheds light on the intricate web of financial transactions and the broader implications of the Mahadev Online betting app controversy.
