Mahadev App money laundering case: ED attaches Dubai assets, including Burj Khalifa properties

The Enforcement Directorate said it attached new immovable assets worth about Rs 1,700 crore. The agency linked these properties to Mahadev App promoter Sourabh Chandrakar. Most assets were in Dubai, including units in Burj Khalifa. The ED said the action was part of a money laundering probe.

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The ED said the Raipur zonal office issued a provisional attachment order on Wednesday. The order was passed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The agency also said the case involved high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh. The ED shared these details in a statement.

ED Mahadev App attachment focuses on Dubai properties

The agency said it attached 18 luxury villas and apartments in Dubai Hills Estate. These included properties in Hills View, Fairway Residency and Sidra. The ED also attached apartments in Business Bay and SLS Hotel & Residences. It added that some attached units were in Burj Khalifa.

The Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building at 829.8 metres. The ED said two immovable properties in Delhi were also attached. The agency put the fair market value of all newly attached assets at about Rs 1,700 crore. The ED said the properties were held through entities linked to Chandrakar.

ED Mahadev App probe names promoters and associates

The ED said Chandrakar was a main promoter of the Mahadev Online Book betting application. The agency said the assets were in the names of entities controlled by Chandrakar. It also named associates linked to these entities. The names included Vikas Chhaparia, Rohit Gulati, Atul Arora, Nitin Tibrewal and Surendra Bagri.

The agency said the Mahadev app was co-promoted by Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal. Both were stated to be from Chhattisgarh. India was pursuing their extradition, the ED said. The agency said Chandrakar’s last known location was the United Arab Emirates. It added that Uppal was stated to have fled to Vanuatu from the UAE.

ED Mahadev App case tracks alleged betting proceeds

The ED alleged the attached properties were bought using proceeds of crime. The agency linked the money to illegal online betting run under Mahadev Online Book. It also referred to other related platforms. The ED earlier estimated total illegal money in the case at about Rs 6,000 crore.

The ED said it had attached properties earlier in the same case. With the latest order, the total value of attachments reached Rs 4,336 crore. The agency described Mahadev App as an international betting syndicate. It said the syndicate enabled illegal betting through Tiger Exchange, Gold365 and Laser247.

The ED said the operation used a franchise-based network of panels and branches. It said associates ran these branches across India. The agency added that Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal controlled the syndicate from Dubai. The ED said the structure helped spread betting activities across multiple online platforms.

The agency said it arrested 13 people during the investigation. It also said it named 74 entities as accused. The ED filed five chargesheets before a special PMLA court in Raipur. The agency also moved a court to seek fugitive economic offender tags under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018.

The ED said this request covered Chandrakar, Uppal and other named persons. It listed Anil Agrawal alias Atul and Shubham Soni among those included. The agency said the latest attachments were part of its ongoing probe. It added that the order aimed to secure assets it linked to suspected laundering.

With inputs from PTI