Chhattisgarh Probe Agency Raids 29 Places Across Five Districts In Mahadev Betting App Case

The Chhattisgarh Economic Offence Wing/Anti Corruption Bureau carried out raids at 29 locations across five districts as part of an investigation into the purported Mahadev betting app case.

Earlier in March, the EOW/ACB initiated a case regarding the suspected Mahadev online betting case, prompted by a report submitted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The latter agency is probing into potential money laundering aspects of the case.

“As a part of ongoing investigation into the case, various teams of the ACB/EOW launched raids this morning in 18 places in Durg district, seven locations in Raipur, two locations in Balodabazar and one each in Raigarh and Kanker,” an ACB/EOW statement said.

During the searches, authorities seized electronic devices, documents pertaining to assets, slips associated with Hawala transactions (illegal fund transfers), banking-related documents, and other suspicious materials linked to the Mahadev app. These seized items are currently under examination as part of the ongoing investigation.

“Meanwhile, Arjun Singh Yadav, an accused absconding for a long time in the case, was located in Pachmarhi (in Madhya Pradesh) and brought to the bureau office here for interrogation. He was arrested following his interrogation,” the statement added.

The FIR filed by the ACB/EOW in the alleged Mahadev betting app case names former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel along with the app’s promoters Ravi Uppal, Saurabh Chandrakar, Shubham Soni, Anil Kumar Agrawal, and 14 others as accused parties.

Charges include sections of the Indian Penal Code such as 120b (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 471 (using forged documents as genuine), among others, along with sections 7 and 11 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act 2018.

According to the FIR, the promoters of the Mahadev book app, namely Ravi Uppal, Saurabh Chandrakar, Shubham Soni, and Anil Kumar Agrawal, established an online platform for live betting activities. They allegedly engaged in betting operations via various social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram, and others.

The promoters and panel operators of the Mahadev betting app allegedly generated approximately INR 450 Cr per month through the online betting platform following the imposition of the Covid lockdown in 2020.

Earlier this month, ED filed a fresh chargesheet in connection with its money laundering investigation into the Mahadev online betting and gaming app case. A total of 25 individuals and entities have been named as accused in the third prosecution complaint filed in this case before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court,

Founded by Uppal and Chandrakar, the Mahadev app, now embroiled in controversy, is an online platform where users can participate in live gambling across various games like poker, cricket, badminton, and tennis, among others.

The case drew significant attention after Chandrakar’s lavish wedding in Dubai in February 2023, reportedly costing upwards of INR 200 crore. The wedding featured performances by renowned figures such as Vishal Dadlani, Tiger Shroff, Sunny Leone, Neha Kakkar, Nushrratt Bharuccha, and several others.

Seven months later, the ED initiated its crackdown and announced the exposure of the Mahadev app online betting case. The agency also interrogated several Bollywood celebrities in connection with the case. In January of this year, it filed a chargesheet in a special court in Raipur following its investigation.