6 months ago
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The Supreme Court connected Tuesday (November 4, 2025) directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to hint the whereabouts of Mahadev Online Book (MOB) app co-founder Ravi Uppal, observing that “kingpins” similar him dainty courts and investigating agencies arsenic “mere instruments” to play with.
A Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma was proceeding Mr. Uppal’s entreaty against a March 22, 2025, bid of the Chhattisgarh High Court, which had refused to quash a non-bailable warrant issued by a Raipur peculiar tribunal connected September 4, 2024. The High Court had held that the probe revealed his possession of proceeds of transgression and truthful recovered nary crushed to interfere with the proceedings court’s order. The Supreme Court had earlier issued announcement connected his plea connected May 23, 2025.
Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, appearing for the ED, informed the Bench that Mr. Uppal had fled from Dubai to an chartless determination and remained untraceable. “From the United Arab Emirates (UAE), you tin beryllium extradited. So, helium volition present spell to a state from wherever helium cannot beryllium extradited. That is my apprehension,” Mr. Raju said.
Taking objection to the development, Justice Sundresh remarked, “We did not deliberation that helium was not going to travel back... for kingpins similar him, the investigating bureau and the tribunal are specified instruments to play around.”
The Bench advised Mr. Uppal’s counsel that it would beryllium successful his client’s involvement to instrumentality and look the proceedings. “He cannot tally distant each the time... helium has to travel present and enactment successful the process. We volition adjacent see his bail exertion astatine an due stage,” Justice Sundresh observed.
“We volition question instructions. We volition besides pass the lawsuit astir what fell from your Lordships”, the counsel assured the Bench.
The Bench, however, cautioned that unless Mr. Uppal returned, his entreaty could beryllium dismissed. “We person to bash thing astir this, it shocks our conscience. You find out, different we volition disregard it [the plea],” Justice Sundresh said, adding that the ongoing probe was being hampered by Mr. Uppal’s continued evasion.
Addressing Mr. Raju, Justice Sundresh further said, “Find retired however to unafraid this person... He is precise resourceful. He is flying from spot to place, helium indispensable beryllium flying successful concern people oregon archetypal class.”
Mr. Raju responded that Mr. Uppal whitethorn person flown to the British Virgin Islands, which does not person an extradition pact with India, and assured the Bench that the ED would marque each efforts to hint him. The substance was accordingly adjourned for a week.
The MOB app, according to the national agency, operates arsenic an umbrella syndicate facilitating amerciable online betting done aggregate platforms. It allegedly enables betting websites to enrol caller users, make idiosyncratic IDs, and launder ample sums of wealth done a analyzable web of benami bank accounts.
Mr. Uppal and his associate, Sourabh Chandrakar, are accused of establishing the amerciable betting syndicate successful 2018 and gathering a ₹6,000-crore empire that continues to relation crossed India contempt aggregate authorities bans connected platforms linked to the network.
In 1 of its complaint sheets, the ED has claimed that the “betting empire” was operating astir 3,200 betting “panels” crossed antithetic cities and generating astir ₹240 crore successful regular revenue. Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has besides been named arsenic an accused successful the investigation.
Mr. Uppal was arrested successful Dubai successful December 2023 pursuing an Interpol Red Notice issued 2 months earlier. The Enforcement Directorate aboriginal sent an extradition petition to the UAE connected January 16, 2024. He was released wrong 45 days but continued to stay nether surveillance owing to the pending extradition proceedings.
Mr. Chandrakar was arrested successful Dubai successful October 2024 and placed nether location arrest, with an extradition petition besides sent the aforesaid month. The bureau has additionally initiated fugitive economical offender proceedings against some men, which are pending earlier a peculiar tribunal successful Raipur.
