Amid Probes, Mahadev App Promoters Planned Relocating Their Base To Zimbabwe

Amid investigations by several probe agencies into the Mahadev betting app case and its over 25 associates for various irregularities, its promoters planned moving their operations from Dubai to Zimbabwe.

As per ET’s report, the fugitive promoters had also sent one of their now-arrested associates to Zimbabwe to explore the possibility of shifting the staff and work to the African country which doesn’t have a law that explicitly bans online betting.

Accused Nitish Diwan disclosed this in his statement to the enforcement directorate (ED), which is included in the agency’s second prosecution complaint (PC), akin to a chargesheet, filed last month. The chargesheet was submitted on March 11, but the court has not yet acknowledged it, the report said

As reviewed by ET, the ED’s probe has also revealed that on November 8, one of the promoters, Ravi Uppal, was arrested by UAE authorities following the Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) issued against him. 

Subsequently, the agency has initiated a request through the appropriate authority for his extradition. Uppal and another mastermind, Sourabh Chandrakar have renounced their Indian passports and have bagged the citizenship of Oceania country, Vanuatu.

Diwan, a key accused, had close ties to the promoters and purportedly held assets in his name that belonged to the promoters. 

The investigation into the illegal betting application scam revealed the use of bank entries from dummy companies to invest in the stock market. Earlier, ED announced freezing of shares worth 21,100 Cr held in demat accounts linked to the accused. 

According to the chargesheet, during searches in Kolkata on February 28, a laptop was recovered containing an Excel sheet titled “Running Sheet,” detailing weekly earnings.

The arrests in the Mahadev Betting App case persist, with the ED apprehending two individuals in January: Nitin Tibrewal from Kolkata and Amit Agrawal from Raipur. Last month, the ED also arrested Suraj Chokhani, revealing his involvement as the Indian link to the fugitive promoters of the Mahadev app.

Founded by Ravi Uppal and Sourabh Chandrakar, the Mahadev app, at the centre of controversy, is an online platform where users can engage in live gambling across various games, including poker, cricket, badminton and tennis, among others.

The scam gained attention following Chandrakar’s opulent wedding in Dubai in February 2023, allegedly costing north of INR 200 Cr. The wedding saw performances by the likes of Vishal Dadlani, Tiger Shroff, Sunny Leone, Neha Kakkar, Nushrratt Bharuccha, and many others.

Seven months later, the ED began its crackdown and announced that it unearthed the Mahadev app online betting scam. The agency also questioned multiple Bollywood celebrities in the case. In January this year, it filed a chargesheet in a special court in Raipur following its probe.