The company promoted by Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, who were running operations from Dubai, is an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for enabling illegal betting websites, according to the ED
The Enforcement Directorate has frozen and seized assets worth Rs.417 crore in connection with the Mahadev APP online betting case, officials said on Friday.
“ED has conducted searches against the money laundering networks linked with Mahadev APP in cities like Kolkata, Bhopal, Mumbai etc. and retrieved large amount of incriminating evidences and has frozen/seized proceeds of crime worth ₹ 417 Crore.” the agency claimed on X (formerly Twitter), sharing the image of the valuable seized in the raids.
Officials said that the investigation by the ED has shown that the Mahadev App is run from a central head office in the UAE.
The company promoted by Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, who were running operations from Dubai, is an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for enabling illegal betting websites, added officials.
They allegedly used the online book betting application to enrol new users, create user IDs and launder money through a layered web of benami bank accounts, ED officials said.
Large-scale hawala operations are done to siphon off the proceeds of betting to off-shore accounts. Large expenditure in cash is also being done in India for advertising betting websites to attract new users and franchise (panel) seekers, said the ED.
Earlier on August 24, the ED claimed that they arrested four persons in a case (ECIR – RPZO/10/2022 ) related to money laundering in the Mahadeo App betting case.
Last month, the ED also questioned people close to Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, including the chief minister’s political advisor Vinod Verma and two officers of special duty– Manish Banchhor and Ashish Verma.
ED investigation in the Mahadev app case has revealed that Mahadev provides online platforms for “illegal betting” in different live games like poker, card games, chance games, betting on cricket, badminton, tennis, football etc, and also provide facility for playing several card games like TEEN PATTI, Poker, Dragon Tiger, Virtual Cricket games using cards etc., to even APPS allowing placing bets on different elections in India.