Mahadev betting app promoter Ravi Uppal flees UAE, currently untraceable

NEw new delhi: Ravi Uppal, co-founder of Mahadev Online rule book App, the adult male who, who on with Sourabh Chandrakar created an illegal betting imperium worth several thousand crore rupees and was arrested in Dubai in December 2023 based on an Interpol red notice, has fled from the gulf country to an “unknown location”, highly placed officials told HT.UAE authorities have not disclosed to India “his exit route or destination” but have initiated “closure of his extradition proceedings”, the officials added.The development comes as a major setback for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Chhattisgarh police, which were hoping to have Uppal and Chandrakar extradited from Dubai , considering the friendly relations between the two countries.“We have been informed through formal channels that Ravi Uppal has left the UAE to an unknown location. Dubai has not provided any information on his exit route or destination, even though the red notice against him remains active,” said a senior government officer, who asked not to be named.This officer added that “the UAE has also proposed closing the extradition proceedings against Ravi Uppal”.Uppal, in his late 40s, and his partner in the ₹6,000 crore fraud, Chandrakar, started Mahadev online betting app syndicate in 2018. The illegal betting operations, still running across India despite the government banning multiple platforms and apps linked to Mahadev, allows people to place illegal bets on poker and other card games, games of chance , cricket, badminton, tennis and football matches, and even election outcomes.ED has claimed in one of its charge sheets in the case that the “betting empire” was operating at least 3,200 (betting) panels in different cities, generating around ₹240 crore per day. Promoters Uppal and Chandrakar had rented 20 villas in Dubai to accommodate its staff of 3,500 persons. Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel is also named as accused in the investigation.Uppal was arrested in Dubai in December 2023 based on an Interpol notice (issued in October that year) after which ED sent an extradition request to the UAE on January 16, 2024. He was, however, released by UAE authorities within 45 days , although he remained under surveillance due to pending extradition proceedings.Chandrakar was also arrested in Dubai in October 2024 and was kept under house arrest. An extradition request for Chandrakar was sent in October 2024, which has not progressed much in the last one year. ED has also launched fugitive economic offender (FEO) proceedings against the duo in October 2024 that are currently pending before a court in Raipur.The financial crimes probe agency received information in 2024 that Uppal and Chandrakar had acquired passports of Vanuatu, a chain of 80 islands in the South Pacific. It is, however, not known whether Uppal has fled there. Chandrakar is still said to be located in the UAE.“The UAE chose not to pursue extradition saying the request was not received in time. It is not correct. The extradition documents were sent through proper formal channels within the stipulated time. Even if he was released, it doesn’t preclude re-arrest and extradition once the request has been received,” a second government official said.He said UAE’s decision to close the extradition proceedings against Ravi Uppal and also not informing India about his exit route and destination, “reflects a lack of cooperation and transparency in financial crimes and is inconsistent with the spirit of mutual legal assistance and India-UAE extradition treaty”.“We have conveyed our concerns to the competent authorities in Delhi and requested the ministry of external affairs to take up the issue at the highest diplomatic level to ensure accountability”, he added.