Sourabh Chandrakar, Mahadev Betting App Owner, Held In Dubai

Sourabh Chandrakar, the proprietor of the Mahadev app and a key figure in promoting the online betting platform, has been held in Dubai on Tuesday, according to the news agency PTI. The reports added that Chandrakar has been 'house arrested' for now, and Indian authorities are actively engaging diplomatic channels in efforts to facilitate his deportation.

Meanwhile, officials informed the news agency that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is likely to imminently submit a new charge sheet in this multi-crore money laundering case. Sources revealed that Chandrakar's whereabouts in Dubai have been communicated to the federal agency.

Earlier, authorities in Dubai had "restricted the movements" of Saurabh Chandrakar, and now he has been house arrested.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had included Chandrakar and co-accused Ravi Uppal, among others, in its initial charge sheet submitted before a specialized Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Raipur.

In the aforementioned charge sheet, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) cited Dilip Chandrakar, Sourabh Chandrakar's uncle, who stated that prior to Sourabh's departure to Dubai in 2019, he managed a juice shop called 'Juice Factory' alongside his brother in Bhilai, a town in Chhattisgarh.

According to the ED, Sourabh Chandrakar reportedly wedded in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, in February 2023, with expenditures amounting to around ₹200 crore, primarily in cash. The lavish event allegedly involved the hiring of private jets to transport his relatives from India to the UAE and payments to celebrities for performances.

Additionally, the ED is anticipated to submit a supplementary charge sheet in this case involving two individuals apprehended by the agency in November from Chhattisgarh - Asim Das, an alleged cash courier, and police constable Bheem Yadav.