Mahadev Betting App Scandal: Saurabh Chandrakar, Alleged Promoter Of ₹6,000 Crore Scam, Arrested In UAE; Extradition Process Underway

Mumbai: Saurabh Chandrakar, the alleged promoter of the Rs 6,000 crore Mahadev betting scam, has been arrested by UAE authorities on charges of money laundering at the behest of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The operation was closely coordinated by the the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

According to sources, the MEA received the UAE court’s order confirming Chandrakar's arrest on Thursday. ED officials have stated that the documentation required for Chandrakar’s extradition is in its final stages of preparation and a formal extradition request will be sent to the UAE authorities soon. The accused is expected to be brought to India in the next ten days.

A senior official has confirmed that the Raipur PMLA court has issued an extradition order for Saurabh Chandrakar under Section 59 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), which governs reciprocal arrangements for the extradition of accused persons. This significant order was issued on Thursday in response to a formal request from the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Public Prosecutor Saurabh Pandey, representing the ED, stated that the Raipur PMLA order was originally drafted in Hindi and subsequently translated into English and Arabic to facilitate communication with UAE authorities. All relevant documents pertaining to the case—including the prosecution complaint, evidence, and banking transactions—were duly signed by the special PMLA judge in Raipur on Thursday. These documents were then forwarded to the ED headquarters in Delhi on Friday morning for further legal action.

Additionally, ED officials have signed all necessary documents, including the Arabic and English translations of the Section 59 PMLA order, and will submit them to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for legal processing. These documents are expected to be sent to the competent court in the UAE on Saturday for the upcoming extradition hearing, which aims to secure the return of Saurabh Chandrakar to India.

The ED, acting as the nodal agency, will coordinate the efforts to bring Saurabh Chandrakar from the UAE to India. Sources also confirmed that Chandrakar was officially arrested by UAE authorities in response to a request made by the ED.

According to the sources, Saurabh Chandrakar has filed a request to the ruler of UAE as a final appeal.

Chandrakar was previously under house arrest in the UAE; however, his formal arrest, which occurred last week, was officially communicated to Indian authorities on Thursday. This arrest was facilitated by a Red Corner Notice (RCN) issued through Interpol at the request of the ED. Following his apprehension, Chandrakar was presented before a UAE court, and the detailed court order has been shared with Indian officials.

According to ED officials, the extradition order for another alleged Mahadev app promoter Ravi Uppal was already executed in January this year when UAE authorities informed them that Uppal had been apprehended by Dubai police based on the ED's request via Interpol, as he faces money laundering charges. However, prior to the execution of the extradition, he was released on legal grounds. ED officials indicated that Ravi Uppal's arrest and extradition proceedings are also underway.

Chhattisgarh Police have registered 71 cases related to the Mahadev betting scam across various police stations in the state. Additionally, the State Economic Offences Investigation and Anti-Corruption Bureau has lodged another case. Beyond Chhattisgarh, Chandrakar and ravi uppal is also wanted in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, and other states. The ED and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are ramping up efforts to apprehend him.

The ED has filed three prosecution complaints in the Mahadev betting app case, with nine out of 19 accused already arrested. Additionally, the Mumbai Crime Branch and the Chhattisgarh Economic Offences Wing (EOW) have filed chargesheets, naming Chandrakar as the primary accused.

India’s anti-money laundering agency, the ED, has been pursuing Chandrakar’s extradition from the UAE for over a year.

The ED's investigation has uncovered that, in an effort to evade arrest and circumvent Indian authorities, promoters Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal have renounced their Indian passports and obtained citizenship in the Oceania nation of Vanuatu. This small South Pacific country has become a favored destination for individuals seeking citizenship-by-investment schemes, a loophole that Chandrakar has exploited to avoid detection.

ED’s probe had revealed that the Mahadev betting app is an alleged umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for enabling illegal betting websites to enroll new users, create User IDs and laundering of money through a layered web of benami bank accounts. The ED in its earlier chargesheets has said that the promoters had invested the alleged proceeds of crime (PoC) in crypto currency, bogus diamond trade, stock and offshore real estate.

In a supplementary prosecution complaint filed by the ED in December last year, it was alleged that Mahadev Online Book and its subsidiary betting apps, such as Fairplay, Anna Reddy, Laser Book, Gold365, Lotus 365, and Lion King, were generating average monthly earnings of ₹450 crore, at the rate of ₹3 lakh per panel per month.

The federal anti-money laundering agency further claimed that one of the accused, Asim Das, the courier, allegedly delivered the money to former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Bagel. The agency also said that examination of the email sent by another accused Shubam Soni revealed that so far Rs 508 crore was allegedly paid to Baghel.

The investigation also revealed that Chandrakar had heavily invested in the stock market through shell companies, channeling funds from the betting scam into these companies to launder money.

Following ED investigations, the government has banned over two dozen websites involved in laundering money from illegal offshore betting platforms disguised as e-commerce and forex trading portals. These include OctaFX, Fairplay, Magicwin, Mahadev Online Book, and 30 others operated by promoters based in Spain, Dubai, Russia, and Pakistan. According to the ED's western region probe, the PoC has been estimated at Rs 10,000 crore, with an all-India estimate doubling this figure.