From Burj Khalifa to Delhi: ED attaches Mahadev betting app kingpin’s assets
The assets include luxury villas and high-end apartments, collectively worth Rs 1,700 crore, and belonged to the betting platform’s promoter Sourabh Chandrakar.
4 min readRaipurUpdated: Mar 27, 2026 02:48 AM IST
The ED has attached assets worth Rs 1,700 crore in the Mahadev betting app case linked to Sourabh Chandrakar. One of the two kingpins of the Mahadev online gambling app, at his wedding in UAE. (File Photo)
Luxury villas and high-end apartments in some of Dubai’s most premium locations, including in the Burj Khalifa, are among properties collectively worth Rs 1,700 crore attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Mahadev Online Book betting case.
The properties belong to Sourabh Chandrakar, one of the alleged kingpins of the betting platform. He made news in 2023 for his lavish, Rs 200-crore wedding in Dubai, for which family members arrived in private jets, and the guest list included Bollywood celebrities.
Sourabh, originally a clothes salesman from Bhilai in Chhattisgarh, who also ran a juice centre, had teamed up with another key accused in the case, Ravi Uppal, to create the betting platform in 2018, officials said.
The total value of properties attached, seized or frozen in the case stands at around Rs 4,336 crore.
The Raipur Zonal Office of the ED issued a Provisional Attachment Order (PAO) on March 24, and attached 20 immovable properties, including 18 in Dubai and two in New Delhi. The immovable assets, worth nearly Rs 1,700 crore, were seized as part of the ED probe into the Mahadev Online Book betting case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
“The foreign assets are located in prime areas of Dubai and comprise luxury villas and apartments in Dubai Hills Estate, including Hills View, Fairway Residency and Sidra, apart from multiple high-end apartments in Business Bay and SLS Hotel & Residences. Some of the attached properties are also located in Burj Khalifa,” the ED said in a statement.
The agency said the properties belong to Sourabh Chandrakar, identified as one of the main promoters of the Mahadev Online Book application, and are held in the names of entities controlled by him and his associates, including Vikas Chhaparia, Rohit Gulati, Atul Arora, Nitin Tibrewal and Surendra Bagri.
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The agency alleged that the assets were acquired from proceeds of crime generated through illegal online betting operations linked to the Mahadev platform and other similar applications.
The investigation was initiated on the basis of multiple FIRs registered by police in Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal under various sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act against individuals linked to betting platforms such as Mahadev Online Book and Skyexchange, as well as certain government officials.
The ED said the Mahadev Online Book functioned as a large-scale international betting syndicate, operating through multiple platforms such as Tiger Exchange, Gold365 and Laser247.
The network allegedly followed a franchise-based model with “panels” or “branches” run by associates across India, while promoters Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal are said to have operated the syndicate from Dubai.
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Investigators found that promoters retained around 70–75% of profits, with the remainder distributed among panel operators. The proceeds were allegedly routed through thousands of mule accounts using unsuspecting individuals’ KYC documents, and later transferred abroad via hawala channels, cryptocurrency and layered financial transactions before being invested in high-value assets.
So far, the ED has conducted searches at over 175 premises, arrested 13 persons and named 74 accused in five prosecution complaints filed before a special PMLA court in Raipur.
Applications have also been filed to declare Sourabh Chandrakar, Ravi Uppal, Anil Agrawal alias Atul Agrawal and Shubham Soni as Fugitive Economic Offenders.
Further investigation is in progress, the agency said.
Jayprakash S Naidu is a Principal Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently serving as the state correspondent for Chhattisgarh. With an extensive career in frontline journalism, he reports on the political, security, and humanitarian landscape of Central India.
Expertise and Experience
Specialized Conflict Reporting: Jayprakash is a leading voice on the Maoist/Naxalite conflict in the Bastar region. His reporting provides a critical, ground-level view of:
Internal Security: Tracking high-stakes encounters, surrender programs for senior Maoist leaders, and the establishment of security camps in formerly inaccessible "heartland" villages.
Tribal Rights & Displacement: Investigative reporting on the identity and land struggles of thousands of displaced tribals fleeing conflict zones for neighboring states.
Governance & Bureaucratic Analysis: He consistently monitors the evolution of Chhattisgarh as it marks 25 years of statehood, covering:
Electoral Politics: Analyzing the shift in power between the BJP and Congress and the impact of regional tribal movements.
Public Policy: Reporting on landmark infrastructure projects (e.g., mobile connectivity in remote zones) and judicial interventions, such as High Court rulings on civil and family law.
Diverse Investigative Background: Prior to his current focus on Chhattisgarh, Jayprakash held reported from Maharashtra, where he specialized in:
Crisis & Disaster Management: Notable for his extensive coverage of the Cyclone Tauktae barge tragedy (P-305) and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on frontline personnel.
Legal & Human Rights: Investigative pieces for platforms like Article-14, focusing on police accountability and custodial deaths across India.
Environmental & Social Justice: Authoritative reporting on the Hasdeo Aranya forest protests and the approval of major tiger reserves, highlighting the tension between industrial mining and environmental preservation. ... Read More
