India has requested a Dubai court to rule on the extradition of Ravi Uppal. He is the 42-year-old co-promoter of MOB or Mahadev Online Book. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is seeking Ravi Uppal in connection with a money laundering investigation into the illegal betting platform.
Last December, authorities arrested Uppal in Dubai. They placed his accomplice and fellow co-promoter, 28-year-old Sourabh Chandrakar, under round-the-clock surveillance. In October 2023, Interpol issued Red Corner Notices (RCNs) against both of them. The RCNs call for the global arrest or detention of a subject. A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, issued non-bailable warrants against them. This occurred on September 4, 2023. Following that, authorities issued the Red Corner Notices.
Dr. Saurabh Kumar Pandey is the special public prosecutor of the ED in Raipur. He stated that the Dubai court is currently processing the request for Ravi Uppal’s extradition. This information comes from Uppal’s lawyers. The court will decide whether there is a case for this extradition. Pandey confirmed arrest of Chandrakar in Dubai.
ED sources claim that, based on the RCN against Chandrakar, authorities in Dubai previously arrested him. The agency will send the necessary case documents to process his extradition. The Dubai court will also decide on extradition of Chandrakar. Both accused can contest the merit of the extradition requests, as well as ED’s allegations against them. If authorities order their extradition, they will face legal proceedings in India.
The ED named Uppal and Chandrakar among 14 accused in its first chargesheet. This chargesheet was submitted to a special PMLA court in Raipur in October 2023. Both have denied the allegations of the agency.
The ED alleges that Uppal and Chandrakar received assistance in Chhattisgarh to bribe officials and politicians. They transferred funds through hawala routes to protect the MOB network from crackdowns.
