Mumbai: Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, the promoters of the Mahadev Online Book betting empire, were planning a strategic relocation of their operations from Dubai to an African country. This decision comes in the wake of the revelation of their entire betting empire and Mahadev headquarters details during a thorough investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has resulted in a red corner notice being issued against Chandrakar and Uppal.
The crucial information regarding this move was reportedly disclosed by Nitish Diwan, a key figure in the ED investigation, during his interrogation after his arrest in February this year. This information is now part of the ED's second prosecution complaint, filed in the Raipur PMLA court on 11th March. Diwan revealed that he was offered a position in Dubai by Chandrakar himself.
According to Diwan, Chandrakar contacted him and told him to come to Dubai and work for him. However, Diwan's attempts to flee to Dubai were foiled when he was detained at Delhi airport based on a lookout notice.
During the investigation, he revealed that during his earlier visit to Dubai, he traveled to Zimbabwe along with an associate of Subham Soni, another key player in the Mahadev saga, to explore the possibilities of shifting the headquarters and staff of Mahadev Online from Dubai to Zimbabwe.
According to the top official sources, Zimbabwe has emerged as a major hub for the betting business, with gambling establishments prevalent in most major towns and the capital city, Harare, acting as the primary hub.
The presence of casinos in most resort hotels has made Zimbabwe a popular destination for tourists, making it an ideal environment to operate the Mahadev betting business.
This favorable setting may have influenced Chandrakar and Uppal's decision to relocate their headquarters from Dubai to Zimbabwe, with the aim of evading law enforcement scrutiny.
However, their plans hit a roadblock in Zimbabwe as the local betting mafia and the Russian betting mafia, who are currently operating worldwide, did not allow them to establish their betting empire, leading to the failure of their plan.
During the ED investigation, Diwan reportedly confessed to utilizing nearly Rs 15 crore along with a Mahadev betting app associate to fund a luxurious lifestyle. He also revealed that, at the behest of Saurabh Chandrakar, he opened a cryptocurrency wallet in his name and converted the betting money into crypto.
According to the ED's prosecution complaint, Nitish Diwan was found to be holding assets in his name that were actually beneficially owned by the promoters of Mahadev Online Book. He maintained bank accounts in the UAE, using them to route hawala funds linked to betting. Moreover, several shell companies were established in his name in the UAE.
While these companies purported to provide visa services to Mahadev Online Book staff in Dubai, they were actually conduits for channeling illegal betting proceeds. Diwan was found to be actively aiding the promoters of Mahadev Online Book in their money laundering activities.
Additionally, Diwan revealed that Saurabh Chandrakar instructed him to purchase a property in the UAE for an amount of 85 lakh United Arab Emirates Dirham. Diwan claims that Chandrakar sold this property at a high price, but online records of the Dubai government show that he is still listed as the owner of one property, raising questions about the transaction.
Furthermore, Diwan disclosed that Chandrakar established a company named Sportsbuzz, through which he sponsored the IIFA awards. Diwan himself was involved in presenting awards to well-known Bollywood celebrities at the IIFA Film Awards. Initially, Diwan held a 51 percent stake in Sports Buzz, but on Chandrakar instructions, Diwan transferred his 51 percent stake to Harpit Singh Rakhi, a close associate of Subham Soni, who then operated the company.
These revelations paint a complex picture of international maneuvers and intrigue surrounding the Mahadev Online Book betting empire and its promoters. The ED's investigation continues, uncovering more layers of this intricate web.
