Mahadev app co-promoter Ravi Uppal arrested in UAE, India pushes for extradition

Arrest in Dubai

Authorities in Dubai have arrested 46-year-old Ravi Uppal, the co-promoter of the Mahadev online betting app. Officials confirmed the arrest on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. Indian probe agencies used an Interpol Red Notice to track and secure him abroad. Both the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate are now working to bring him back to India. Uppal was previously detained in the UAE in 2023 before agencies traced him to Australia. Investigators state he obtained a passport from Vanuatu, an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean, just like his associate Saurabh Chandrakar.

Charges and Links

Investigators charge that Uppal generated and enjoyed proceeds of crime while concealing and layering funds. The Enforcement Directorate alleges he managed the delivery of liaison money to politicians and bureaucrats in Chhattisgarh. He allegedly worked through people including Chandrabhushan Verma, an assistant sub-inspector of police. Both Uppal and Chandrakar hail from Bhilai town in Durg district, Chhattisgarh. Meanwhile, Saurabh Chandrakar returned to India from Oman on November 1 after a local court allowed his extradition in an ongoing money-laundering case. A special court in Raipur granted the Central Bureau of Investigation eight-day custody of Chandrakar.

Context

Online betting platforms like the Mahadev app often use complex networks of panel operators and shell accounts to move money across international borders. Extradition processes for economic offenders typically involve close coordination between Interpol, national police forces, and foreign legal authorities. Financial crimes investigated by agencies like the Enforcement Directorate often target cross-border money laundering networks that span multiple countries.