CBI expands Mahadev Online Book app probe
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed six fresh and five additional chargesheets in the Mahadev Online Book App case, naming 66 accused persons, including the alleged kingpins Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, in a related probe.
The six persons named in the latest chargesheets are Ashim Das, Rohit Gulati, Vikas Chhaparia, Anil Dhammami, Vishal Ahuja and Dheeraj Ahuja. They have been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy.
The CBI has also placed on record additional evidence against the two primary accused, Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, who were chargesheeted earlier in the case. Additional chargesheets were filed today against 66 accused persons, including Chandrakar, Uppal, and several members of the betting syndicate panels, who allegedly used to channel the proceeds of crime.
The charges relate to offences under the IPC and the Chhattisgarh Gambling Prohibition Act. According to the CBI, Mahadev App was promoted and operated primarily from Dubai by Chandrakar and Uppal, both originally from Chhattisgarh. It functioned as an umbrella syndicate and provided platforms for illegal online betting on cricket, football, poker and other games.
The model relied on franchising panels or branches to associates on a profit-sharing basis (reportedly 70-30). These panels enrolled users via aggressive social media campaigns, created betting IDs and generated massive illegal profits. Investigators estimate the network processed enormous daily turnovers, with some reports citing up to Rs 200 crore per day at its peak, funnelling proceeds through mule bank accounts, layered transactions and hawala channels before transferring funds abroad.
According to the CBI, part of the illicit gains were allegedly paid as protection money to public servants to shield the operation from enforcement action.
The accused fled abroad years ago. Investigators have found that the promoters of the app and several of their associates fled to West Asian countries a few years ago. They are alleged to have continued operating the network from outside India. The CBI has already issued Red Corner Notices against the four main accused persons who are currently abroad.
The agency has also initiated proceedings to declare them as Fugitive Economic Offenders (FEOs). At the same time, further investigation continues to trace the full extent of the syndicate, including any political or bureaucratic patronage it may have enjoyed.
According to the CBI, the investigation has found signs of political and bureaucratic support for the syndicate. Earlier Enforcement Directorate (ED) probes and CBI raids, including searches at more than 60 locations in March 2025 linked to politicians and senior officials, suggested protection money was involved. Investigations found that part of the illicit gains were allegedly paid as protection money to public servants to shield the operation from enforcement action.
Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has been named in related FIRs and accused of taking kickbacks, with some claims mentioning cash seizures linked to promoters through voice notes. Baghel has firmly denied these allegations, saying his Government filed numerous FIRs and took action against the app while he was in office.
The CBI has said more charge sheets will be filed as the probe progresses to bring all those involved to justice.
Uppal still elusive
New Delhi: Ravi Uppal, co-accused in the Rs 6,000-crore Mahadev Betting App case, remains absconding and is believed to be hiding in Vanuatu, which has no extradition treaty with India. His evasion contrasts with Sourabh Chandrakar’s detention in Oman, where India has sought extradition. Investigators hope Chandrakar’s questioning will help trace Uppal and expose the syndicate.