Mahadev betting app owner Ravi Uppal detained in Dubai

New Delhi: Ravi Uppal, one of the two owners of the Mahadev online betting app, has been detained in Dubai by local authorities based on an Interpol red notice, as confirmed by official sources on Wednesday.

The 43-year-old was apprehended in Dubai last week, with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) currently coordinating with Dubai officials for his extradition to India.

Uppal faces ED investigation regarding alleged money laundering connected to illegal betting, alongside probes from Chhattisgarh Police and Mumbai Police.

The ED had previously filed a money laundering charge sheet against Uppal and co-owner Sourabh Chandrakar in a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, prompting an Interpol red notice.

According to ED submissions, Uppal holds a Vanuatu passport while retaining Indian citizenship, allegedly involved in concealing and managing proceeds of crime. Uppal, the ED said in the prosecution complaint, "generated and enjoyed proceeds of crime and is involved in their concealment and layering." It had alleged Uppal was "looking after the delivery of the liasioning money to the bureaucrats and politicians of Chhattisgarh through Chandrabhushan Verma", an assistant sub inspector of police, and some others.

The projected proceeds in question amount to approximately Rs 6,000 crore.

The investigation links Mahadev Online Book App operations to a central UAE head office, highlighting a franchising model facilitating illegal betting websites through associates.

It operates by franchising "Panel/Branches" to known associates on a 70-30% profit margin. 

Large-scale hawala operations are carried out to divert betting proceeds to offshore accounts, according to the report.

According to the ED, large sums of money are also being spent in India on advertising betting websites in order to attract new users and franchise (panel) seekers.

The company's promoters, originating from Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, oversee an illicit network enabling online betting platforms.

(With inputs from PTI)