The Enforcement Directorate on Friday attached movable and immovable assets worth ₹940.77 crore belonging to businessman Vikas Garg, his family members, and the companies that are controlled by him as part of its ongoing money laundering probe into the alleged Mahadev Online Booking and Skyexchange betting networks. With the latest development, the total value of assets attached, seized and frozen in the case has risen to nearly ₹3,800 crore. The central agency said the attached assets include residential properties, land parcels, equity shares and other securities under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The ED's Raipur Zonal Office carried out the attachment under a Provisional Attachment Order issued under the Provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, as part of its investigation into the illegal online betting operations. According to the ED, the money laundering investigation stems from multiple First Information Reports (FIR's) registered by the Chhattisgarh Police, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal Police.
The ED previously stated that the Mahadev betting app case involves various high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh and the alleged proceeds of crime generated in this case stand at ₹6,000 crore. According to the ED, the Mahadev app operated as a large-scale international betting syndicate that facilitated alleged illegal betting through multiple online platforms and domain names such as 'Tiger Exchange', 'Gold365' and 'Laser247'. The operation was structured through a franchise-based network of 'panels' and 'branches' operated by associates across India, while main promoters Chandrakar and Uppal operated and controlled the betting syndicate from Dubai. The ED has stated in one of its chargesheets that the massive betting empire was operating at least 3,200 panels in different cities, generating around ₹240 crore per day from illegal gambling activities. The accused allegedly created betting IDs, collected money from bettors and facilitated betting on cricket and other sporting events, as stated in the ED complaint. The ED also alleged that proceeds of crime to the tune of around ₹940.77 crore were routed into entities owned and controlled by Vikas Garg, which were layered through multiple transactions and invested in shares, securities and other assets. The illegitimate funds were allegedly routed through a complex web of shell entities and accommodation entries to make them appear legitimate.
Sourabh Chandrakar, the absconding founder and prime accused in the Mahadev betting app syndicate, has been detained in Oman after allegedly entering the country on a forged Indonesian passport, according to officials speaking on Wednesday. The Chhattisgarh resident in his 30s was detained by the Royal Oman Police a few weeks ago based on an Interpol Red Notice issued at the request of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Chhattisgarh Police. He is currently lodged at Muscat's Al Khoud detention centre, with Oman also registering a separate criminal case against him over the alleged use of a forged passport and illegal entry into the country. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) last week sent a formal extradition request to the Omani authorities through the Ministry of External Affairs, along with a judicial dossier translated into Arabic as required under Omani law, officials said. A joint CBI-ED team is expected to travel to Muscat once an Omani court clears the extradition request.
Chandrakar reportedly left for Dubai in 2019 and was previously detained by UAE authorities in October 2024 under an Interpol red notice and placed under house arrest, but was subsequently released. Initial information suggests that Chandrakar was travelling to Oman on a fake passport obtained from a Southeast Asian country, as reported by Hindustan Times. Investigators following his trail, apart from that of his partner and co-founder Ravi Uppal, told PTI that informal inputs suggest Chandrakar was allegedly travelling on a passport from a Southeast Asian country. Indian agencies last stated that Chandrakar's location was Dubai where UAE authorities had similarly detained him in 2024, but he was subsequently released. Meanwhile, they claimed Uppal fled from Dubai to Vanuatu, an archipelagic country in the South Pacific Ocean. As exclusively reported by HT in November 4, 2025, Ravi Uppal had gone missing from the UAE after authorities in the gulf country decided to close extradition proceedings against him. His plea to have the Red Notice withdrawn was later rejected by Interpol's Commission for the Control of Files, which held that the case pertained to financial crime and not political persecution.
The ED has arrested 13 people as part of this investigation, naming a total of 74 entities as accused in the five charge sheets filed before a special PMLA court in Raipur (Chhattisgarh) till now. It has also moved a court seeking a fugitive economic offender tag for Chandrakar, Uppal and others named in the case like Anil Agrawal alias Atul and Shubham Soni. The agency stated that it has already issued seven Provisional attachment orders in the case and filed prosecution complaints before the Special PMLA Court in Raipur, which has taken cognisance of the alleged offence. In March, the ED said it had attached assets worth ₹1,700 crore, majorly located in Dubai -- including in the iconic and world's tallest building Burj Khalifa -- belonging to Chandrakar and his linked entities. The syndicate allegedly obtained bank accounts used in the betting operations by cheating and impersonating unsuspecting persons, according to the ED complaint. The illicit network still allegedly runs betting apps and websites from Dubai, targeting Indian users, despite the founders' flight from the country. The duo - Chandrakar and Uppal - had rented 20 villas in Dubai to accommodate its staff of 3,500 persons. Before moving overseas, Chandrakar reportedly ran a juice shop called 'Juice Factory' with his brother in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh's Durg district.
India and Oman share a good bilateral relationship and officials expressed confidence that they will succeed in extradition or deportation proceedings. India and Oman have an extradition treaty, which officials in New Delhi hope will facilitate Chandrakar's repatriation. Authorities pointed to the recent implementation of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries on June 1 to boost economic ties, with two-way trade between India and Oman standing at USD 11.2 billion during 2025-26. India is pursuing his return through either extradition or deportation, expressing confidence that cooperation with Oman would help facilitate the process. Chandrakar and Uppal, through a statement issued a few years back, had vehemently denied any association with the alleged betting racket. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Chhattisgarh police are also investigating Mahadev founders along with several public servants in Raipur. The illegal betting operations, still running across India despite the government banning multiple platforms and apps linked to Mahadev, allows people to place illegal bets on poker and other card games, games of chance, cricket, badminton, tennis and football matches, and even election outcomes.
