Mahadev Betting Case: ED Attaches Fresh Assets Worth 388 Crore; Mastermind Chandrakar And Uppal Arrested In Dubai, To Be Extradited Soon, Girish Talreja Arrested; What Happened To Shubham Soni And Ratan Lal Jain?

The Mahadev Betting App is a high-profile case involving an online betting platform that allowed illegal gambling on a variety of games, which includes poker, card games, badminton, tennis, football, and cricket. According to a recent update, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached new assets totalling around Rs 388 crore in its continuing money laundering investigation into the Mahadev online betting case. The probe has discovered alleged ties to high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats in Chhattisgarh.

The associated properties has both moveable and immovable assets. Investments made by Mauritius-based M/s Tano Investment Opportunities Fund, linked to Dubai-based “hawala operator” Hari Shankar Tibrewal through Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), are among them. 

Who were the people responsible for the Mahadev Betting App scam?

In March this year, it was reported that a group of seven men controlled the allegedly illegal operations of the Mahadev Online Book (MOB), according to an ED officer close to the probe. 

1. Earlier it was believed that two men, Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal were the masterminds. 
2. Afterwards, ED has named a German national Lark Marshall and four Indians, Ratan Lal Jain, Hari Shankar Tibrewal, Girish Talreja and Shubham Soni aka Pintu Bhaiyya, in addition to Chandrakar and Uppal to be the app’s brains.

According to investigators, while the German national provided technical support to the MOB platform, Chandrakar, Uppal, Jain, Tibrewal, Talreja (until his arrest in March), and Soni handled its operations in India and elsewhere. Together, they controlled at least 19 betting books on the MOB platform.

What are their present statuses?

Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal – Sourabh Chandrakar, a primary accused in the ₹ 5,000-crore Mahdev app betting case, will be extradited from the UAE and brought to India within a week, as reported in October 2024. Ravi Uppal had been detained in Dubai, a few weeks earlier. 

Hari Shankar Tibrewal- A myriad of assets have been frozen in connection with Hari Shankar Tibrewal, the recent one mentioned at the start of the article. Hari Shankar Tibrewal used people to launder and hide income under the guise of stock investments for Indian companies. Indian companies controlled by Hari Shankar’s associates held a stock portfolio worth Rs 580 crores as of February 29. At the same time, foreign institutions also positioned their funds in India through FPI. His stock portfolio was also discovered to be Rs 606 crore.

Overall, these companies have a stock portfolio of more than Rs 1180 crore. Searches in Kolkata also disclosed that Hari Shankar Tibrewal is also having hands in stock market manipulation in collaboration with the promoters of the companies. Hari Shankar Tibrewal used his mammoth capital to create temporary fluctuations in share prices, used to take them upstairs, and then withdraw the money.

Shubham Soni- This was a famous name in this Mahadev Betting case. In November 2023, the current government, the BJP released a video in which an accused Shubham Soni claims to have paid ₹508 crore to the then Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel for his gambling business in Dubai. In the video, it was seen that the man, identifying himself as Shubham Soni, sitting in Dubai, narrated the entire story of the Mahadev app, about who is connected to this betting app.

He has clearly said that ex-CM Baghel, his son Bittu, his political advisor Vinod Verma, and an IPS officer were involved in this syndicate. Although Mr Baghel has denied all the allegations and has called the event a political conspiracy, this type of event displays how every node in the system is involved, involving the scamsters, politicians, and bureaucrats.

In the video, Soni can be seen saying, “despite giving money, his work is not getting done and don’t understand what to do with this system. As ED has started action against him, he was seen requesting the Indian government to help him, as he feels he is trapped in this political system. He further speaks about his desire to get out of it and claims that he have evidence regarding the money he has given. He can be seen to plead as he wants to come back to India”.

Girish Talreja- In March 2024, ED has made two more arrests, further continuing its probe into the alleged money laundering and illicit activities connected with the app. Suraj Chokhani, the Managing Director of Ability Games Ltd Company, and Girish Talreja, known to be suspected key players in the case, were remanded to one-day judicial custody by the Raipur Court. 

Girish Talreja is a partner in the illegal operations of Lotus-365 along with Ratan Lal Jain alias Aman and Saurabh Chandrakar. Girish Talreja was found to be playing an active role in laundering the proceeds of Lotus 365. On March 1, probe was conducted at several places in Kolkata, Haryana, Delhi, MP, Maharashtra and Goa. The probe also included branches of Lotus 365 operating out of Pune, Maharashtra. The probe revealed that speculative cash worth Rs 50 crore/month was being handled by this branch. Girish Talreja was also found to be one of the members of the “cash handling WhatsApp group” of this branch. After the search, Rs 1 crore in cash was seized.

Ratan Lal Jain- With the investigators hot on their trail, Jain, Tibrewal and Talreja allegedly instructed Soni to ensure that their involvement and role stayed a secret. And hence, as per sources, there is no update about the whereabouts of Ratan Lal Jain. ED probes revealed that Talreja held a stake in the operations of ”Lotus365 ”, an affiliate of MOB, in which Jain and Chandrakar were also partners. 

Tibrewal, Jain and Talreja footed the bill, all in cash, for Chandrakar’s Dubai wedding in February 2023, which was attended by 17 Bollywood celebrities. According to Paramjeet Singh (a witness who allegedly handled the work of 490 MOB panels in India spread across Delhi and other states in the north including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana) Payments to the stars were allegedly made by Jain’s firm, Konark Industries.

How it all came to light?

A rags-to-riches story; a gambling syndicate; money moving hands across borders; and a lavish wedding in the UAE. Then the officials reversed their happiness. Doesn’t seem like a bollywood film? Oh, there were actual Bollywood actors to round out the image.

Sourabh Chandrakar, a former juice vendor, and Ravi Uppal, both from a tiny town in Chhattisgarh, made it big with the Mahadev Betting app. Chandrakar’s opulent wedding attracted by ED. The agency ED has alleged in its charge sheet that Chandrakar got married at UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah, in February last year and about INR 200 crore “in cash” was spent for this grand wedding. Private jets were hired to bring Chandrakar’s relatives from India to the UAE and celebrities were offered to perform at the wedding, the agency alleged.

While the probe continues, the event has once again brought to light the growing popularity of online betting in India, and how such activities are considered legally. There are key problematic topics like the existing regulatory landscape, the expansion of the fantasy sports market, the distinction between skill and chance games, and if betting is illegal.