INDIAN GAMING STATESIDE
Mahadev Book leased several villas to support betting operations, paid large sums as protection money to Chattisgarh police and politicians: ED to special court
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in fi lings before a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) said the founders of Mahadev Book, Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal ran pan-India operation of betting network by residing in Dubai. The anti-money laundering watchdog listed out 6 FIRs registered in Chattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh and said the betting racket operated on a franchise model with ultimate owners operating from out of the country. ED said both the prime accused hailing from
Chhattisgarh relied heavily on associates from the state to launder money which resulted in payment of large amounts of money as protection amounts to police and politicians in Chattisgarh. To support the operations, Mahadev Book through fi ctious entities leased several villas in Chattisgarh that were used as home cum offi ces of associates recruited. According to investigation, Saurabh
Chandrakar spent Rs 200 crores for his wedding in February 2023 when private jets were used to ferry relatives from Nagpur to Ras Al-Khimah. The ED alleged that nearly Rs 112 crores were delivered via hawala to an event management company in India towards marriage expenses. Court fi lings reveal that the two promoters of Mahadev Book obtained passport of Pacifi c nation Vanuatu and are acquiring assets in the UAE, Sri Lanka, London, Australia, etc. ED accused that a low ranking police offi cial
Chandrabhushan Verma with links to one of the advisers of Chattisgarh Chief Minister acted as liaison between Mahadev Book and the police and politicians in Chattisgarh. ED investigation revealed that Verma used to collect cash delivered by Ravi Uppal through hawala and deliver them to politicians and policemen in Chattisgarh. ED noted that key associates of Mahadev Book moved out of the country in recent times. The
Centre has the authority to ban betting apps, not state, says Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has again questioned the central government on the issue of the Mahadev Book betting app. This time he has asked if they have accepted funds for not putting a ban on the illegal betting app. This comes soon after BJP Uttar Pradesh’s MLA
Siddhartha Nath Singh accused the Chhattisgarh government for not banning the app. He claimed that the state is receiving huge amount of bribe from Dubai to not do it. “The central government has the authority to put a
ban on the betting app, not the state government. My allegation is that if you (referring to the BJP-led government at the centre) are not imposing a ban on the application, so have you accepted the fund for elections,” Baghel said as per The Times of India. Contrary to Singh’s claims, Baghel said that the
centre should intervene and ban the illegal betting app. Notably, states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and few others have already taken measures against such activities. Singh alleges Dawood’s brother and Chandrakar’s
involvement in the racket: “The money is coming through Dawood’s younger brother and Chandrakar, a native of Bhilai. They are concerned about money no matter what the source is, and Congress High
Command hardly bothers about the source of money from Chhattisgarh as they consider the state as an ATM.” Singh added. Countering Singh’s arguments, Bhupesh Baghel
said that the other states had barely taken any actions. On the other hand, Baghel said that Chhattisgarh booked over 450 people that were working for Mahadev Book network. “We advocated issuing a lookout circular and
issued directives for the arrest of operators of Mahadev applications who are currently in foreign countries. The central government has the authority to put a ban on the app, not the state government,” Baghel said. While the political clash continues between the
parties, the Enforcement Directorate has fi led a chargesheet against Mahadev Book. Additionally, 14 people including the masterminds Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal were mentioned in the chargesheet.
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accused who moved out of the country in recent times include Gitesh Chandrak, brother of Saurabh Chandrakar and Amit Shah who looks after investments of Mahadev Book profi ts.
ED pleaded the special court to issue non-bailable warrants against absconding accused so that they can be made part of the investigation. ED said it had seized several assets and properties and sought confi scation order from the special court under the PMLA. It is worth noting that ED has fastened the
investigation on the matter and has summoned several celebrities who endorsed betting brands belonging to Mahadev Book.
Bhupesh Baghel
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