What is Mahadev Book Betting App Scam Explained in Detail
Year 2017. This is the story of two men from Bhilai (Chhattisgarh) who had very big dreams.
A fruit juice shop owner in Nehru Nagar, Bhilai, Sourabh Chandrakar (then 28 yrs) and Ravi Uppal (43) who ran a tyre repair shop. Both were Gambling addicts, they met and became friends overtime. Both wanted to do something very big with their life. So they took their life savings and went to UAE in search of some work , just like a number of Indians go outside India to earn better.
In Dubai they met a local Sheikh and a Pakistani and there came the idea of online gaming portal – Mahadev Book. Mahadev Book is a mobile application that can be downloaded by mobile app store. It provides platforms for illegal betting in virtual games like poker, teen patti, and real sports like Indian Premier league – Cricket, Soccer, Hockey etc. It took some time for the app to gain the market and Covid turned out to be the perfect time for the application to grow. People were sitting idle and with less or some even with No work and the app started getting members. It was for common people and the 2021 IPL turned jackpot for the app.
Reportedly profit of Rs 2000 crore was earned by the app in this single event. The app was designed such so all the virtual games hosted by the application platforms would earn money for the owners and they do not have chance to lose anything. As all scams are designed, the initial users earn money and then through word of mouth the app gained popularity. Initial profits earned by the users were distributed using dummy bank accounts. Now the people are addicted and the time for losses started, people started losing money and made the app owner richer by the minute.
Then came the next phase for the business that is – Expansion. They started working out on the franchisee model and franchisee owner is called Panel Owner. These panel owners started heavy marketing of the app and added number of people to the app. The initial panel owners got 30% of the profit margin and later the profit generated by the Panel Owner has a margin of 20%, so the Owners Sourabh and Ravi gets 80% and 20% is for the newer franchisee. The app got huge Popularity in Chhattisgarh and most of the panel owners belong to the state. Within a year the app has big turnover and with just a user id and password people were doing online betting. Transactions were through online banking and communication was majorly through WhatsApp Channel.
The business was going fine and the owners earned real big money and app had started getting business from the UAE, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan also. And then came the time to spend the huge money accumulated. Sourabh got married in Feb 2023 in Ras Al-Khaimah in UAE and approx 200 crores was reportedly spent on the wedding, ALL IN CASH.
The Cash transactions led this Enforcement Directorate (ED) of India and ED started to follow money trail. Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor attended the wedding and is also summoned by ED to investigate his links with the App and the owners.
How ED claims CM Baghel got involved
ED during their searches reached Police ASI Chandrabhushan Verma who was one of Panel owner and made Rs 65 crore with the app. He informed ED that everything was happening under protection of state. Ravi and Sourabh, allegedly sent huge money to Chhattisgarh CM in exchange of state protection. ED also raided Vinod Verma who is advisor of CG CM Bhupesh Baghel and then ED arrested a Police constable Bhim Singh who used to visit Dubai and used to carry black money.
Police also arrested a money courier man named Asim Das with Rs 5 cr cash. He got this money from some person named Soni who is also an employee of Mahaveer app. Asim Das also told ED that everything was happening under protection of CM Baghel and for this till now he has received Rs 509 crore bribe from Mahadev App owners.
ED clarified that that these accusations on the Chief Minister Baghel are under investigation and not proved yet. A sum total of 5000 crore Indian Rupees is approximately the size of the huge scam by this App, that it earned duping the people majorly from the Chattisgarh.
Jailed Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi also reportedly asked extortion money from Sourabh and Ravi but later he got to know that Dawood Ibrahim is supporting them with their Pakistan connection. More information on this scam would be added to this report soon.