Illegal gambling in India: 8 locations raided

The Enforcement Directorate has carried out raids in Mumbai and Kutch.

India.- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted eight raids in Mumbai and Kutch, Gujarat, in connection to an illegal betting app called Fairplay. The app is said to broadcast Indian Premier League (IPL) matches and allow online betting.

The raids resulted in the seizure and freezing of assets, including cash, bank funds and silver bars, totalling around Rs 4 crore (US$475,906). The ED also seized documents and digital devices. Fairplay is based in Dubai. The raids targeted technical and financial management support services..

In 2023, the Nodal Cyber Police in Maharashtra lodged a first information report (FIR) against Fairplay Sport and others based on a complaint from Viacom 18, the official broadcaster of the IPL for causing revenue losses exceeding Rs 100 crore (US$11.9m). Suspecting money laundering, the ED opened a separate enforcement case and discovered that Krish Laxmichand Shah, the principal figure behind Fairplay, registered multiple companies including Play Ventures and Dutch Antilles Management in Curacao, Fair Play Sport and Fairplay Management DMCC in Dubai and Play Ventures Holding in Malta

See also: 9 arrested for alleged betting in Nagpur

Saurabh Chandrakar, the owner of the Mahadev Book betting app, was arrested on October 11 in Dubai following the issuance of a Red Notice (RN) by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of India. It’s expected that Chandrakar will be extradited to India within a week.

Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal from Dubai are accused of using an online book betting application and of laundering money through a network of benami (unnamed) bank accounts. The ED said Mahadev followed a franchising model by offering “Panel/Branches” to known associates on a 70-30 profit-sharing basis. Last September, the ED raided the offices of celebrities’ managers in Mumbai and Delhi as part of a money laundering investigation related to the wedding of Chandrakar.