Mahadev Betting App Promoter Ravi Uppal Arrested In The UAE: Report

Ravi Uppal, 46, co-promoter of the Mahadev online betting app, has been arrested in the UAE, according to officials from PTI. He was detained based on an Interpol Red Notice issued by Indian authorities. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate are now working towards his extradition to India. This comes after a similar arrest of fellow Mahadev app co-promoter Saurabh Chandrakar from Oman, who was extradited to India following a court's permission.

Chandrakar is currently in custody in Raipur, having been granted eight-day custody by a special court. Uppal's arrest marks a development in the ongoing ED probe into the betting platform. He was previously detained in the UAE in 2023 but was later found to be in Australia. Investigations suggest that Uppal obtained a passport from Vanuatu.

The Mahadev Betting App Saga began with the Enforcement Directorate filing a chargesheet against Uppal in October 2023, alleging a betting scam operated through a network of franchised panels and branches worldwide. The probe revealed that betting proceeds were allegedly routed through mule bank accounts and transferred overseas via hawala channels, with a portion of the money allegedly paid to public servants to facilitate the syndicate's operations.

The ED estimates proceeds of crime at around ₹6,000 Cr, with alleged links to senior politicians and bureaucrats in Chhattisgarh. In March, the ED attached 20 properties in Dubai and New Delhi, estimated to be worth nearly ₹1,700 Cr, which they claim were acquired using illegal betting proceeds. The investigation has also examined alleged connections to EaseMyTrip cofounder Nishant Pitti and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, both of whom have denied involvement.