Mahadev app kingpin arrested, extradition to India soon
In a major breakthrough, the mastermind behind the Mahadev online betting app scam, Saurabh Chandrakar, was arrested in Dubai on Friday. Sources said Chandrakar is expected to be either extradited or deported to India over the next few days.
In a major breakthrough, the mastermind behind the Mahadev online betting app scam, Saurabh Chandrakar, was arrested in Dubai on Friday. Chandrakar, the alleged kingpin of the Mahadev betting app scam, was arrested following a Red Notice (RN) issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The scam, which involves illegal betting and gambling websites, is estimated to have cheated people of over Rs 6,000 crore.
Sources said Chandrakar is expected to be either extradited or deported to India over the next few days. Chandrakar along with another promoter of the app, Ravi Uppal was detained and put under "house arrest" in that country late last year following the ED's request for the issuance of a Red Notice (RN) against them.
The ED has alleged that its probe into the Mahadev Online Book (MOB) gaming and betting app has shown the involvement of various high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh, the state from which Chandrakar and Uppal hail.
MOB app, as per the federal agency, is an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for enabling illegal betting websites to enroll new users, create user IDs, and launder money through a layered web of Benami bank accounts.
The ED has arrested a total of 11 people in this case till now. Two charge sheets have also been filed by the agency, including those against the two promoters. The projected proceeds of crime in this case are about Rs 6,000 crore, according to the agency.
It had claimed that the alleged illegal funds generated by the app were shared as bribes to politicians and bureaucrats in the state even as it has summoned many celebrities and Bollywood actors for questioning on the mode of payment and their links with the online betting platform.
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