Mahadev: Now, FIR links Mahadev app duo to cricket match-fixing

RAIPUR: In an interesting turn in the Mahadev app case, Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal – identified by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as key players in the betting racket – are now alleged to be involved in a match-fixing syndicate via a ‘subsidiary application’ named Mahadev Khiladi.
An FIR was lodged by Maharashtra Police in this matter on Friday on the orders of a local court.The network deals in Bitcoins and its operations span several cities, including London, Kolkata and Mumbai, apart from parts of Chhattisgarh.
Chandrakar and Uppal are natives of Bhilai but have moved to Dubai from where they are running the Mahadev Book betting network, say police. The Chhattisgarh Police have issued lookout notices for them.
Chandrakar and Uppal have denied the allegations and say they are cooperating with the ED. They deny any links with the alleged cricket match-fixing racket.
On November 6, the Mumbai metropolitan magistrate’s court directed police to initiate a case following repeated complaints by social worker Prakash Bankar, who alleges a fraud of Rs 15,000 crore via the app since 2019. The FIR was registered under IPC charges, Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act, and the IT Act.
According to the complaint, cricket matches were “manipulated” by the syndicate. Of the 32 names in the complaint, at least five are Chandrakar’s known associates, who are operating from various parts of the country and the Middle East to “fix” matches. They operate via the Khiladi App and other portals, generating crores per day, which is distributed through hawala or Bitcoin wallet, says the complaint.
The Maharashtra Economic Offences Wing is likely to take over the ‘Khiladi App’ probe, and could reach out to Chhattisgarh Police to investigate alleged match-fixing links in the state, sources say.
Shubham Soni, who claims to be the owner of Mahadev App and has made direct allegations against Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, is alleged to be one of the administrators of Khiladi App, say sources. In a social media video a few days ago, Soni sought to implicate Baghel, one ‘Verma’, and some police officers, triggering a political storm in the poll-bound state.

Chandrakar and Uppal have now issued a statement from Dubai refuting all the allegations made by Soni. They have also denied any involvement in the betting racket, and said that the allegations are “baseless, and lack credible evidence”.

Chandrakar and Uppal have named Soni as the ‘central figure’ behind the Mahadev Book betting app and shared details on Soni’s association with ‘Mahadev Book Markets Limited’. They claimed to have been “unfairly made scapegoats” due to their growing presence in the UAE real estate market.
Chandrakar and Uppal have said that they are cooperating with the Enforcement Directorate (ED), providing all the necessary information and documents, and “demonstrating their commitment to assist with the investigative process”. They claim to be participating in the legal proceedings and have appealed to the media and the public not to label them as absconders.