The Enforcement Directorate has said authorities in Dubai have 'restricted the movements' of Saurabh Chandrakar, one of the two Mahadev online betting app promoters being investigated by the agency. Saurabh Chandrakar is one of the masterminds in the case related to money laundering and operates from Dubai.
The case is related to a mobile application that provided platforms for illegal betting in virtual games like poker, teen patti, cricket etc.
Earlier in December, another accused Ravi Uppal, one of the two main owners of the app, was detained by the local police in Dubai after the red notice issued by the Interpol at ED's behest. The probe agency coordinated with the autorities in Dubai and efforts were underway to get him deported to India..
The ED had filed a money laundering charge sheet against Uppal and Sourabh Chandrakar, before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Chhattisgarh's Raipur in October.
The Ed said in its chargesheet that Uppal "generated and enjoyed proceeds of crime and is involved in their concealment and layering," as quoted by PTI. It had alleged Uppal was "looking after the delivery of the liaisoning money to the bureaucrats and politicians of Chhattisgarh through Chandrabhushan Verma," the news agency reported.
The app garnered attention when Durg SP Abhishek Pallav arrested some people linked to the betting app and FIRs were filed in the matter. The case eventually saw many arrests from other states and it was during the questioning that the names of Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal came up.
According to the police the app began its operations in 2017 but saw a massive growth during the Coronavirus-induced lockdown when people were confined in their houses and many faced economic problems.
The app made headlines earlier this year when Bollywood A-listers like Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Huma Qureshi, Hina Khan and comedian Kapil Sharma were called by the ED for questioning in the case.