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NEW DELHI: Following the extradition of Mahadev online betting app promoter Sourabh Chandrakar from Oman, Indian investigative agencies have intensified efforts to secure the return of the syndicate’s co-founder, Ravi Uppal, from Dubai. The Enforcement Directorate is actively pursuing formal extradition proceedings with authorities in the United Arab Emirates, where officials believe Uppal has returned after spending time in other international jurisdictions. Investigators consider the physical custody of both key promoters essential to unravelling the complex financial network behind the alleged Rs 6,000 crore illegal betting operation and identifying its ultimate beneficiaries across the country.
Co-Founder Linked to Massive Hawala Operations
A resident of Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, Uppal is among the 116 accused named in the chargesheets filed by the Enforcement Directorate. He reportedly left India alongside Chandrakar in 2019 to establish the central headquarters of Mahadev Online Book in Dubai. While Chandrakar focused on operational management and market expansion, investigators allege that Uppal was assigned the core responsibility of routing proceeds of crime through informal hawala networks. These illicit deliveries allegedly involved transactions running into hundreds of crores of rupees, enabling the cross-border movement of illicit funds.
Officials also suspect that Uppal was the primary point of contact for political figures and local administrative officials in Chhattisgarh. He allegedly facilitated pay-offs and bribes to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of the illegal betting network on Indian soil. The agency is simultaneously pursuing the extradition of another associated operative, Vikash Chhaparia, who is also believed to be living in Dubai.
Extradition Push Revived After Pacific Relocation
Efforts to apprehend Uppal trace back to October 2023, when an Interpol Red Notice was issued at the request of Indian authorities. Acting on this notice, Dubai authorities detained him in December 2023, prompting the Enforcement Directorate to submit a formal extradition dossier in January 2024. However, Uppal was released from custody within approximately 45 days. By November last year, intelligence inputs indicated that he had relocated to the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu after obtaining citizenship and a local passport. Recent surveillance suggests that he has returned to Dubai, triggering renewed legal action.
The fresh diplomatic initiative follows the return of co-founder Sourabh Chandrakar on Sunday. Chandrakar had been detained by the Royal Oman Police in Muscat in late June under an Interpol Red Notice. A specialised team from the Central Bureau of Investigation escorted him back to India to present him before a special court in Raipur, where the Enforcement Directorate will seek his custodial interrogation to reconstruct the financial paper trail.
Scrutiny Deepens Over Political Pay-offs
The cross-border investigation has gathered political momentum due to serious allegations regarding systemic pay-offs in Chhattisgarh. In six chargesheets submitted to the judiciary, the Enforcement Directorate alleged that syndicate promoters channelled illicit funds to bureaucrats and political figures, including former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, to secure administrative protection. Baghel has consistently rejected all charges, and the matter remains under formal judicial examination without any finding of guilt.
Despite ongoing enforcement action and bans on allied web platforms, officials caution that satellite units of the betting syndicate continue to operate across several Indian states. Investigators are widening their scrutiny beyond the executive leadership to include bank account handlers, payment aggregators, and ground-level intermediaries. Securing custody of both Chandrakar and Uppal is viewed by federal agencies as the definitive step toward dismantling the broader financial architecture behind the illegal network.
