New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate’s probe into the multi-crore Mahadev betting app has now reached one of the world’s most iconic locations—the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Properties worth around ₹1,700 crore have been attached, including apartments in Dubai Hills Estate (Hills View, Fairway Residency, and Sidra), luxury units in Business Bay and SLS Hotel & Residences, as well as an apartment in the Burj Khalifa, an ED official confirmed.
According to officials, these properties belong to Sourabh Chandrakar, one of the key promoters of the Mahadev Online Book betting application.
“The assets were acquired from proceeds of crime generated through illegal online betting operations linked to the Mahadev platform and other activities,” the official said. The properties were held in the names of entities controlled by Chandrakar and his associates, including Vikas Chhaparia, Rohit Gulati, Atul Arora, Nitin Tibrewal, and Surendra Bagri.
The case relates to an alleged illegal betting network involving thousands of crores routed through bank accounts opened using fake identities, supported by an intricate web of shell companies, overseas call centres, and a strong hawala network.
Sources said the Mahadev Online Book app facilitated betting on live games such as poker, card games, and virtual sports like cricket, badminton, tennis, and football. It also reportedly allowed users to bet on elections in India.
Originally from Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, Chandrakar and his associates allegedly built a vast customer base and amassed over ₹5,000 crore, which was routed abroad through hawala channels and used to pay kickbacks.
The ED launched its investigation based on multiple FIRs registered in Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal against individuals linked to illegal betting platforms, including Mahadev Online Book and Skyexchange, as well as some government officials.
Investigations revealed that the betting network operated through a franchise-based system of “panels” managed by associates across India, while key promoters Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal allegedly controlled operations from Dubai.
Uppal was arrested by Dubai Police in December 2023 following an ED request, but later managed to escape. In November 2025, the Supreme Court directed the ED to trace him, noting that such “kingpins” treat courts and agencies as instruments to evade law enforcement. He is suspected to be in Vanuatu, where he may have acquired citizenship.
The ED stated that promoters retained 70–75% of the profits, with the rest distributed among operators. The illegal proceeds were layered through thousands of dummy bank accounts using unsuspecting individuals’ KYC documents, then transferred abroad via hawala and cryptocurrency channels before being invested in high-value assets in India and the UAE.
So far, the ED has conducted searches at over 175 locations across India, arrested 13 individuals, and named 74 others as accused in five prosecution complaints filed in a Raipur court.
“As of now, total attachments, seizures, and freezing of movable and immovable assets stand at approximately ₹4,336 crore,” the official added. (Agency)
