India's Enforcement Directorate filed its first chargesheet in the Mahadev online betting app case on Friday, naming 14 accused, including app promoters Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal1. The filing was made at a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court in Raipur, and the agency told the court it has provisionally attached ₹41 crore worth of proceeds of crime, an amount it said could rise past ₹6,000 crore1.
- The filing was made at a special PMLA court in Raipur1
- The agency has provisionally attached ₹41 crore worth of proceeds of crime, an amount it said could rise past ₹6,000 crore1
- App promoters Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal are among the 14 accused1
The 14 named in the first chargesheet are Sourabh Chandrakar, Ravi Uppal, Vikas Chapariya, Chandrabhushan Verma, Satish Chandrakar, Anil Dammani, Sunil Dammani, Vishal Ahuja, Dheeraj Ahuja, Punaram Verma, Shiv Kumar Verma, Yashoda Verma and Pawan Nathani1. Chandrakar, who the report says earlier worked as a juice vendor, and Uppal are described as the founders of the application, and both currently reside in Dubai1.
The ED has alleged that the Mahadev online book app operates by franchising Panel/Branches to known associates on a 70-30 profit ratio1. According to the agency, the app was used to enroll new users, create IDs and launder money through a layered web of Benami bank accounts, and it provides online casino and betting platforms, activities the report describes as illegal in India or permitted only under strict government supervision1.
"it has provisionally attached ₹ 41 crore worth of proceeds of crime, the total amount of which can cross ₹ 6,000 crore"
The case has also drawn in entertainment figures. Actors Ranbir Kapoor, Huma Qureshi and Hina Khan were summoned by the central agency over promotion of the Mahadev betting app, and comedian Kapil Sharma was summoned to attend what the report calls the lavish success party of the app in Dubai1. The report also states that Chandrakar's wedding in Dubai was reported to have cost ₹200 crore, with family members flown from India on private jets and celebrities including Tiger Shroff, Sunny Leone, Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Ali Asgar and Vishal Dadlani present1.
What it means for players
Mahadev is described in the filing as an online casino and betting platform, and the report states such activity is illegal in India or allowed only under strict government supervision1. For anyone in India who used the app, the practical consequence is that the operator at the center of the case is now the subject of a money laundering prosecution, with 14 people named and assets attached. The report does not say what happens to balances, accounts or records held by ordinary users, and no user protection or refund process has been reported. The same applies to players outside India who accessed the platform: nothing in the reporting sets out how foreign accounts or deposits are treated. For the legal position on what is permitted in the country, see Can I Gamble in India? and Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions.
What happens next
The chargesheet has been filed at a special PMLA court in Raipur1. The report does not state a date for the next hearing, whether the 14 accused have appeared or been arrested, or how the provisional attachment of ₹41 crore will proceed. The report also does not say whether further chargesheets will follow or when the summoned celebrities are due to appear.
