Mahadev betting scam: Prime accused Ravi Uppal arrested in Dubai
Ravi Uppal, one of the two owners of the Mahadev Book online betting app, was reportedly arrested in Dubai last week following a Red Corner notice from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He is likely to be extradited to India, where he faces a money laundering case involving transactions worth around Rs. 6,000 crore. Sourabh Chandrakar, the other owner of the app, is also in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is expected to be arrested soon.
Why does this story matter?
The case gained attention when an accused claimed that the online betting platform's promoters, hailing from Chhattisgarh's Bhilai, gave Rs. 508 crore in bribes to Congress politicians, including former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leveraged the issue to attack Baghel during its election campaign, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying, "Mahadev ko bhi nahin chhoda (they did not spare even Lord Mahadev)." The BJP unseated the Congress government last month with an overwhelming majority.
Accused withdrew claims against Baghel days after voting
On November 2, just weeks before the Chhattisgarh assembly elections, the ED arrested Asim Das, a courier carrying Rs. 5 crore in cash, in Raipur. The agency claimed that Das confessed that the money was sent by Chandrakar and Uppal for Baghel. The next day, the ED claimed that Mahadev App promoters paid around Rs. 508 crore to Baghel. However, the accused retracted his statements days after the voting concluded, saying that he was "made a scapegoat."
Celebrities under scanner in the case
After filing a chargesheet against the accused behind the alleged Mahadev App betting scam, the ED moved a special court in Raipur and obtained non-bailable warrants against the fugitives. These two are the required criteria for seeking extradition of an accused from a foreign country. Chandrakar is also under investigation for allegedly spending around Rs. 200 crore on his wedding in the UAE. Several celebrities including Ranbir Kapoor are under the ED's scanner for allegedly receiving money from the accused.
What did the chargesheet say?
The ED informed the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court that Uppal had taken the citizenship of Vanuatu, an island country in the Pacific Ocean, without renouncing his Indian citizenship. It alleged that Uppal oversaw the delivery of bribes to Chhattisgarh's bureaucrats and politicians through Chandrabhushan Verma, an assistant sub-inspector of police arrested in the case. Verma alleged that Baghel's "close friend" received the bribe through hawala operators of Nagpur.
