Mumbai: In the Mahadev betting app case, the FIR filed by the Mumbai police highlights a deep association connecting the main accused, Saurabh Chandrakar, to D-company. The FIR accuses Saurabh of engaging in serious activities such as terror-funding and narco-terrorism for the D Company.
Additionally, Saurabh Chandrakar's company secured the sponsorship agreement with the IFFA 2022 awards with the assistance of D-Company, and the funds for the sponsorship agreement were allegedly derived from earnings through betting profits.
Chandrakar's commercial relations with Dawood
According to the registered FIR, the complainant, Prakash Bankar, who is an RTI activist, alleges strong ties between Saurabh Chandrakar and D Company. It is claimed that Chandrakar has commercial relations with the underworld don Dawood's brother Mustaqim, involving illegal business dealings, terrorism, illicit trade of controlled substances, and unauthorized transactions for D Company. The allegations suggest that Mustaqim and Chandrakar wholeheartedly support each other. These close relations between the two can be inferred from the fact that whenever Mustaqim arrives in Dubai from Pakistan, he engages in lengthy meetings with Chandrakar. The FIR emphasizes the strong nexus between D Company and Chandrakar, placing Chandrakar's alleged role in terrorism, the illegal trade of controlled substances, and unauthorised transactions for D Company.
In the FIR, the complainant also mentions that a Mumbai-based associate of Saurabh Chandrashekhar syndicate, Amit Sharma, is a partner in Mustqeem's (Dawood Ibrahim's brother) business. Allegedly, on Chandrakar's instructions, Amit Sharma became a business partner with Mustqeem in various businesses based in Dubai, including the betting business. Following Mustqeem's instructions, Amit Sharma funded significant amounts for various construction projects in Mira Road.
Kheloyar Betting app connection
During the Mahadev app investigation, the Enforcement Directorate discovered that Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal were collaborating with D-company to operate the Kheloyar Betting app in Pakistan. It was revealed that, on the instructions of Dawood Ibrahim, Chandrakar fronted Amit Sharma to form a partnership with Dawood Ibrahim's brother, Mustaqueem Ibrahim Kaskar, to operate the app. The Enforcement Directorate disclosed this partnership in 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, it was revealed that Mustaqueem oversees the betting business in Pakistan, providing protection and logistical support to Chandrakar's app.
According to the complaint, Chandrakar possesses dozens of cryptocurrency and other digital currency wallets, along with thousands of benami bank accounts, which have been used to conceal profits from substantial betting activities. Moreover, Chandrakar used these wallets and benami bank accounts for the illicit movement of funds for D Company, involving illegal and drug-related operations. The FIR implicates syndicate members Atul Agrawal, Lala, Khanjam, Jagdish Kumar Thakkar, along with Rohit Mugoi and Amit Jindal in handling Chandrakar's hawala operations. They reportedly convert betting funds into cryptocurrency through USDT. The complaint suggests that these wallets contain thousands of crore rupees, and the identities associated with them remain undisclosed pending further investigation.
According to Bunkar's complaint, Saurabh Chandrakar established his sports company "Sports Buzz" in Gurgaon a few years ago, primarily involved in betting. Based on the complaint, the FIR reveals that Mustaqeem and Dawood Ibrahim, at the behest of Chandrakar, used their influence and power to force the management of the IFFA awards to be held in UAE in 2022 to sign a title sponsorship deal with Sports Buzz, which also happened. Sponsorship funds were reportedly generated from betting earnings. The implication is clear: Saurabh Chandrakar, the accused, not only entered the underworld but also assisted individuals associated with it in acquiring illicit gains.
