Enforcement Directorate makes two fresh arrests in Mahadev app betting case

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested two more persons in connection with its money laundering probe into the Mahadev online betting and gaming app case.

The two accused, identified as Nitin Tibrewal and Amit Agrawal, were arrested under several sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and produced before a special court in Raipur on Friday.

According to the news agency PTI, Tibrewal is alleged to be a “close associate” of an accused in the case, Vikash Chapparia.

He allegedly purchased some “undisclosed” properties in Dubai and was a majority shareholder in a company in which Chapparia is also a shareholder, the news agency reported, citing ED sources.

The agency suspects these assets were bought using the “proceeds of crime” generated from the profits of the Mahadev app, the agency said.

The second arrested person, Amit Agrawal, is a relative of another accused in the case, Anil Kumar Agrawal.

According to the ED sources, Amit Agarwal received Mahadev app funds from Anil Kumar Agrawal and his (Amit Agrawal’s) wife is said to have purchased many properties along with Anil Dammani, another accused in the case.

So far, the ED has filed two charge sheets in this case, including against the two main promoters of the alleged illegal betting and gaming app — Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal — among others.

The two were recently detained in Dubai based on an Interpol red notice issued at the behest of the ED and the agency is trying to have them deported or extradited from the UAE to India.

WHAT IS MAHADEV ONLINE BETTING APP CASE?

According to the ED, the Mahadev app case is a high-profile scandal involving an online betting platform that enabled illegal gambling on various games, such as poker, card games, badminton, tennis, football and cricket.

The app was run by Dubai-based Saurabh Chandrakar, who was a former juice seller, and his accomplice Ravi Uppal, both of whom hail from Chhattisgarh.