India's Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized over Rs 5 crore in cash that it says was sent by promoters of the Mahadev online betting app, the agency said in a case that now includes an allegation that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel received Rs 508 crore from those promoters in the UAE1.
The ED said it recorded the statement of a "cash courier" who made the Rs 508 crore allegation1. Baghel has dismissed the claims, saying they were an attempt to tarnish his image1. The allegation surfaced ahead of state Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh1.
The app was run by Dubai-based Saurabh Chandrakar, a former juice seller, and his accomplice Ravi Uppal, both from Chhattisgarh, according to the ED1. It enabled illegal gambling on games including poker, card games, badminton, tennis, football and cricket1. The ED says the operation ran by franchising "panel/branches" to known associates on a 70-30 profit ratio, enrolling new users, creating IDs and laundering money through a network of benami bank accounts, and that it generated Rs 200 crore daily1. Chandrakar and Uppal are suspected of amassing around Rs 5,000 crore through the app, and the ED says games were rigged to ensure profits for panel owners and heavy losses for players1.
The investigation was triggered by Chandrakar's Rs 250 crore wedding in the UAE in February, which was attended by Bollywood actors including Tiger Shroff and Sunny Leone, with singers including Neha Kakkar performing, according to probe agency sources1. Several Bollywood celebrities, among them Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Huma Qureshi, Kapil Sharma, Boman Irani and Hina Khan, have been summoned by the ED for questioning; the ED suspects they accepted substantial cash sums for participation or performances at events organized by the app's promoters1.
Key figures reported in the case:
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Cash seized, allegedly sent by app promoters | Over Rs 5 crore1 |
| Alleged bribes to Bhupesh Baghel | Rs 508 crore1 |
| Daily operation proceeds | Rs 200 crore1 |
| Suspected amassed by Chandrakar and Uppal | Around Rs 5,000 crore1 |
| Chandrakar's UAE wedding | Rs 250 crore1 |
| Attachments after raids on hawala operators | Rs 417 crore1 |
| Proceeds of crime provisionally attached | Rs 41 crore1 |
On October 21, the ED filed its first chargesheet in the case, naming 14 accused, including Chandrakar and Uppal1. The agency has consolidated at least seven FIRs filed by victims who lost money, spanning Goa, Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad and Chhattisgarh1. It has also identified seven hawala kingpins allegedly involved in money laundering1. Sources told India Today that Chandrakar and Uppal joined hands with Mushtaqeem Ibrahim Kaskar, brother of gangster Dawood Ibrahim, to develop a similar betting app for Pakistan called "Kheloyar"1.
"The ED has also seized over Rs 5 crore in cash, which was allegedly sent by the Mahadev app promoters."
What it means for players
The case concerns an app that the ED says offered illegal gambling in India on poker, card games and sports including cricket, tennis and football1. The ED's account states that games were rigged to produce profits for panel owners and heavy losses for players1, and that at least seven FIRs were filed by victims who lost money, in Goa, Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad and Chhattisgarh1. For anyone who used such apps, that means money paid in may not be recoverable, and the operators named are the subject of an active criminal investigation. India's rules on what gambling is legal vary by state and by game; see Can I Gamble in India? and Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions for how the law is set out.
What happens next
The ED has filed its first chargesheet, naming 14 accused1. It has summoned several Bollywood celebrities for questioning1. No trial dates, further chargesheet dates or outcomes have been reported.
