In a joint operation, the Surat and Chhattisgarh Police on Thursday arrested Kapil Chelani, a close aide of Saurabh Chandrakar – promoter of betting app Mahadev – from Surat. The Surat Police said that a team of the Chhattisgarh Anti Corruption Bureau/Economic Offence Wing (ACB/EOW) had come to the city on July 2 looking for Chelani (30), who was in contact with a Surat resident named Sejal. “The Chhattisgarh team looked for Sejal but could not find her. The team then took the help of Surat Police and reached out to a man in Nanpura, who informed them about Sejal's whereabouts,” said an officer. “Along with a team from the Dumas police, the Chhattisgarh team traced the woman and Chelani. Both were then brought to Dumas police station,” the officer added. Speaking to The Indian Express, Dumas police Inspector N V Bharvad said, “Chhattisgarh ACB/EOW Inspector Virendra Kumar sought our help in arresting Kapil. We assisted and caught the suspect with a woman. A resident of Madhya Pradesh, Kapil had come to Surat around four days ago." The statement of the woman and the man from Nanpura was recorded and they were allowed to go, the officer added. The Mahadev app involves an online platform used for illegal gambling on games like poker, cricket, and football. Operated by Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal from Dubai, the app has led to multiple raids and arrests, including Bollywood celebrities. Former Chhattisgarh chief minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel has also been named as an accused in the FIR into the scam, estimated to be worth Rs 6,000 crore.
