Mahadev betting app co-founder Ravi Uppal arrested in Dubai days after Sourabh Chandrakar’s extradition from Oman

Ravi Uppal, co-founder of Mahadev online betting app and key accused in multi-crore illegal betting syndicate, has been arrested in Dubai, officials familiar with the development said on Wednesday, terming it another “major breakthrough” in the case within a week.Indian agencies have learnt about Uppal’s capture through unofficial channels - no official communication shared by the UAE with India yet. (In picture: Mahadev app co-founder Ravi Uppal)The arrest comes days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) secured the extradition of his business partner and the syndicate’s other alleged mastermind, Sourabh Chandrakar, from Oman.Also read: Mahadev betting app case: CBI gets eight-day custody of kingpin Sourabh Chandrakar after extradition from OmanNo official communication on Uppal's arrest in Dubai yet Indian agencies have learnt about Uppal’s capture through unofficial channels - no official communication shared by the UAE with India yet. Officials said they are trying to gather more information through proper channels and accelerate the proceedings for his extradition.“We have learnt from reliable sources that Ravi Uppal has been arrested in Dubai. It is a major breakthrough. We will try to get him extradited from the UAE as soon as possible,” said an Indian government official, who didn’t want to be named.A resident of Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, Uppal also operated from Dubai. An Interpol red notice was issued against him in October 2023, following which he was detained by Dubai authorities in December that year. However, he was released within 45 days, even as the ED had sent an extradition request to the UAE in January 2024.As exclusively reported by HT on November 4 last year, Uppal had fled the UAE and was believed to be residing in Vanuatu. He recently returned to the UAE.Uppal, Chandrakar hold Vanuatu passportsAccording to an ED officer, who sought anonymity, Uppal as well Chandrakar both hold passports of Vanuatu, which they had obtained after fleeing from India.“Uppal is a vital cog in the entire Mahadev organisation. He handled hawala deliveries running into hundreds of crores of rupees and was also the principal point of contact to liaise with the politicians and bureaucrats in Chhattisgarh. His interrogation will be crucial to establishing the money trail and identifying the beneficiaries of the illegal proceeds,” the ED officer said.How the duo ran the betting scamED’s court and internal documents, seen by HT, reveal that while Chandrakar primarily handled the promotion and operations of Mahadev Online Book or mob, Uppal ran the head office with him in Dubai and managed “the financial network, including hawala deliveries and betting operators in Nagpur”.Without naming them, a second ED officer said “Uppal’s siblings in India allegedly managed his hawala operations in India”.Besides Uppal, ED is also trying to get hold of another accused Vikash Chhaparia in Dubai, officials said.ED has claimed that Mahadev app’s systematic operation ran locally with the “active support and connivance” of local police and politicians from Chhattisgarh and that “the bureaucrats and politically exposed persons have been receiving illegal gratification for turning a blind eye to this illegal betting racket”.The agency has estimated the proceedings linked to MOB and some linked platforms to be worth around ₹94,000 crore, out of which ₹4,000 to ₹5,000 crore has already been remitted to the promoters.Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.Read More