Sourabh Chandrakar, one of the co-founders of the Mahadev gambling app, recently tied the knot in a lavish ceremony held in the UAE back in February. The wedding garnered attention due to the presence of several Bollywood celebrities, including Tiger Shroff, Neha Kakkar, and Sunny Leone. However, their association with Chandrakar has now come under scrutiny by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The ED is currently investigating Sourabh Chandrakar and his partner, Ravi Uppal, for their alleged involvement in running the Mahadev gambling app from Dubai. It is claimed that they used this platform not only to attract new users but also to generate user IDs and engage in money laundering through a complex network of concealed bank accounts.
According to ED, the combined earnings from this operation have reached a staggering Rs 5,000 crore.
To shed some light on Chandrakar’s background, it is worth noting that in his early twenties, he was a humble juice vendor in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. On the other hand, Uppal holds an engineering degree.
In a remarkably short period, Chandrakar has amassed an empire exceeding Rs. 50,000 crores. His strategy involved enticing various segments of society, including students, youth, unemployed individuals, farmers, and others, with the promise of quick financial gains. His operation cleverly distributed sports betting IDs known as ‘panels’ through an intricate network of agents and sub-agents.
What does ED say about Sourabh Chandrakar?
The Enforcement Directorate disclosed that private jets had been chartered to transport family members from Nagpur to the UAE. They mentioned that a roster of celebrities performed at the wedding. Additionally, they had sourced services such as wedding planners, dancers, decorators, and more from Mumbai. Hawala channels facilitated their cash payments.
Among those present at the ceremony and named by ED sources were Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Ali Asgar. Vishal Dadlani Elli AvrRam, Bharti Singh, Bhagyashree, Kriti Kharbanda, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Krushna Abhishek, and others.
Chandrakar and his associates are popular for operating at least 51 illicit betting websites under various brand names. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has made considerable efforts to block some of these domains. However, despite these efforts, mirror sites and alternate extensions have continuously emerged. This ongoing proliferation has made the complete eradication of this problem a formidable challenge.