Saurabh Chandrakar, mastermind of Mahadev app betting scam, arrested in Dubai | Image/File
Saurabh Chandrakar, one of the primary accused in a money laundering and fraud case linked with Rs 6,000-crore Mahadev app betting is expected to be extradited to India after his formal arrest in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following an Interpol red notice.
Chandrakar and his other business partner and another promoter of the app, Ravi Uppal were put into house detention in Dubai in December 2023. The extradition process – greenlit by UAE authorities after the External Affairs Ministry intervened on behalf of the probe agency – is in the final stages, news agency PTI reported citing official sources.
The ED has alleged that its probe in the Mahadev Online Book gaming and betting app has shown involvement of various high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh, the state where Chandrakar and Uppal hail from.
Who is Saurabh Chandrakar?
Chandrakar started with a juice shop in Chhattisgarh’s Bhilai before teaming up with Uppal to run the Mahadev betting app. The two became addicted to online gambling which prompted them to gather their savings for a gambling spree in Dubai. Once there they met a sheikh and a Pakistani national, they started their app. They moved to Dubai in 2019, NTDV reported.
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According to the ED, Chandrakar and Uppal ran the Mahadev network – which allegedly included a nexus of police, bureaucrats, and politicians to shield the illegal activities – from Dubai.
Call centres were opened across Malaysia, Thailand, and India, and also in the UAE, through which illegal betting was conducted by creating an entire ecosystem of interlinked mobile apps.
The company allegedly gained around Rs 6,000 crore through the scam.
It was claimed that Chandrakar allegedly spent around Rs 200 crore “in cash" on his lavish wedding in UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah in February last year. Private jets were used to transport his relatives from India to the UAE, and several Bollywood celebrities were paid to perform at the event.
What is Mahadev App case?
The company reportedly offered online platforms for alleged illegal betting in different live games including cricket, tennis, badminton, poker and card games. These have been operational for the past four years.
The application was an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for enabling illegal betting websites. The online application enrolled new users and allegedly laundered money through a layered web of Benami bank accounts. The games, the lotteries and betting options allegedly were all rigged where the ‘players’ always lost money and the company gained.
The ED claimed that illegal funds generated from the app were distributed as bribes to politicians and bureaucrats, and several celebrities have been summoned for questioning regarding their involvement with the betting platform.
The Mahadev betting app dragnet has also hauled in Bollywood celebrities, among the most notable of whom is actor Ranbir Kapoor, who was accused of promoting a subsidiary app. Actor Sahil Khan was arrested in connection with this case. He got bail in July.
The ED has arrested a total of 11 people in this case till now. Two charge sheets have also been filed by the agency till now, including against the two promoters.
The FRRO issued a 'Leave India Notice' to the Canadian citizen, which was served to him by Jorhat police.
A Canadian citizen allegedly involved in proselytising activities in Assam’s Jorhat district was deported to his home country from New Delhi on Friday, a police officer said here.
Jorhat Superintendent of Police (SP) Shwetank Mishra said the person had been visiting the district since 2021 and his existing visa had expired on January 17 this year.
“He had applied for renewal and during verification, we found that he was involved in proselytisation in Jorhat. We sent an adverse report to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Kolkata," Mishra said.
Accordingly, the FRRO issued a ‘Leave India Notice’ to the Canadian citizen, which was served to him by Jorhat police.
In January 2025, Delhi recorded an average PM2.5 concentration of 165 micrograms per cubic metre, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said.
Delhi AQI improved and was classified in the "moderate" category on Friday | File Image/PTI
Delhi was adjudged the second most polluted city in India for the fourth consecutive month in January, according to a report shared by an independent research organisation.
In January 2025, Delhi recorded an average PM2.5 concentration of 165 micrograms per cubic metre, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said.
Meanwhile, the air quality in the national capital improved and was classified in the “moderate" category on Friday, with the maximum temperature settling at 23.3 degrees Celsius.
The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 156 at 4 PM, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The maximum temperature was normal for this time of the season, while the minimum was recorded at 10 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Humidity fluctuated between 33-60 per cent during the day, the IMD said.
The weather department has predicted a clear sky for Saturday, with the predominant surface wind expected to be from the northwest direction, with a speed of less than 10 km/h during the morning hours.
Mist is expected in the morning, and the wind speed will gradually increase to 14 to 16 km/h from the northwest direction in the afternoon, it added.
According to the CREA report, 105 out of 240 cities exceeded the PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre in January.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI)
Police in Punjab and Haryana have registered cases against some travel agents on charges of duping the illegal Indian immigrants who were deported by the Trump administration.
Many of those deported have alleged that they were duped by travel agents who took them to the US through 'dunki' routes | Representative Image
Police in Punjab and Haryana have registered cases against some travel agents on charges of duping the illegal Indian immigrants who were deported by the Donald Trump administration a couple of days ago.
Many of those deported have alleged that they were duped by travel agents who took them to the US through ‘dunki’ routes — illegal and risky pathways used by migrants to enter the country.
The Amritsar Rural police on Friday booked Satnam Singh, a travel agent who allegedly defrauded Daler Singh, who was among the 104 illegal migrants from Indians deported by the US authorities on Wednesday.
The police in Haryana also registered FIRs against three travel agents on charges of cheating and criminal breach of trust, acting on the complaints from the deportees or their family members.
Of the 104 illegal immigrants who arrived in Amritsar onboard a US military plane on Wednesday, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh.
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Meanwhile, Daler Singh (37), who hails from a village in Amritsar, has alleged that he was cheated by the travel agent who had promised to take him to the US in a legal way.
Singh, who was a driver before deciding to migrate, said he wanted to move to the US for a better future for his family and raised money to pay the travel agent by borrowing from relatives and friends, besides mortgaging his farmland.
He said that he was taken to Dubai and later to Brazil. He was then taken through the ‘dunki’ route, enduring hardships like passing through treacherous pathways in the jungles of Panama before being arrested by US authorities on January 15.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Amritsar Rural, Charanjeet Singh said the FIR was lodged on the complaint of Daler Singh. The police officer also said that Daler had paid the money to Satnam Singh through bank transfer.
“Daler Singh lodged a police complaint son after he was deported from the US. He gave us some proof to support his complaint and those were found genuine upon verification. Following this, an FIR was lodged against Satnam Singh," the SSP said.
He also said that Daler had paid Rs 60 lakh in instalments to the travel agent who had promised him a suitable job in the US.
Meanwhile, the Karnal police in Haryana registered a case on the complaint of Shubham, a resident of Kalaram village, whose brother Akash was among the deportees.
He lodged a complaint on Thursday against a Jalandhar resident, saying that he had promised to send Aakash to the US after charging Rs 42.5 lakh, but he was duped.
Another case was registered against a travel agent in Karnal district on the complaint of a deportee, who alleged that the agent had promised to send him to the US through a legal way and charged him Rs 40 lakh. He, however, was sent to the US through a ‘dunki’ route.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI)
The new income tax bill, which will replace the six decade old Income Tax act, 1961, has been drafted within six months and efforts have been made to simplify the language to make tax compliance easier for taxpayers.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday approved the Income Tax Bill which would likely eliminate the need to wait for the budget for some kind of income tax reliefs, sources told News18.
The new income tax bill, which will replace the six decade old Income Tax act, 1961, has been drafted within six months and efforts have been made to simplify the language to make tax compliance easier for taxpayers and make it easier to read and understand.
According to the government sources, the bill will help the taxpayer to avoid a lot of litigation matters.
After Cabinet approval, the bill is expected to be tabled in the Lok Sabha, most likely on Monday and could be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance for wider consultation.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Union Budget 2025-26 last week had said the government will introduce the new income tax bill in Parliament next week.
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What’s The Need Of New Bill?
The new legislation, also known as the Direct Tax Code, is aimed at revamp the existing income tax structure to simplify the provisions. It will replace the existing Income Tax Act, 1961.
Sitharaman said the bill would embody the same philosophy of Nyaya that was at the heart of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The law had repealed the Indian Penal Code of 1860 from July 2024.
In the Budget Speech 2025, Sitharaman said, “I am happy to inform this August House and the country that the new income-tax bill will carry forward the same spirit of “Nyaya". The new bill will be clear and direct in text with close to half of the present law, in terms of both chapters and words. It will be simple to understand for taxpayers and tax administration, leading to tax certainty and reduced litigation."
What’s Expected In New Bill?
The bill is expected to bring in simplified residence rule, which could give more clarity to determine the residential status of a taxpayer.
It will simplify the overall tax structure by reducing complexity.
It is also expected to make the compliance of the income tax law easier for taxpayers and income tax authorities.
The CBDT had also set up an internal committee to oversee the review and make the Act concise and clear. Also, 22 specialised sub-committees have been established to review the various aspects of the Income Tax Act.
Public inputs and suggestions were invited in four categories — simplification of language, litigation reduction, compliance reduction, and redundant/obsolete provisions.
The US administration is using military planes in messaging around its efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants. (AP Photo)
As many as 104 Indians who were living illegally in the Unites States were deported to India in C-17 Globemaster III military aircraft which landed in Amritsar earlier this week.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Friday responded to a media query about the use of military aircraft for deportation saying that according to the US administration, the deportation was classified as a national security operation. As a result, a military aircraft was used instead of the commercial flights.
“This particular deportation is somewhat different compared to earlier flights. In the US system itself, it was described as a national security operation, so maybe that’s why they used a military plane," Misri said while briefing the media.
India has also expressed concerns to the US regarding the treatment of the deported Indian immigrants. MEA said that the issue of “mistreatment of deportees" is “valid" and emphasised they will keep addressing any instances of mistreatment that come to their attention.
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On Tuesday, a US military aircraft landed at Amritsar airport with 104 handcuffed Indians with shackled legs.
487 More Immigrants To Be Deported
India further said that the trump administration has identified another 487 illegal Indian migrants living in the country, who are set to be deported soon.
“We’ve been told there are 487 presumed Indian citizens with final removal orders," Misri said while addressing the press briefing. In a special briefing, Misri said that the documents of 298 people have been shared for verification with Indian Government by the American authorities.
The Indian government is closely monitoring the situation and working with US authorities to resolve the issues related to these individuals, Misri added.
What EAM Jaishankar Said?
Misri further emphasised that the root cause of the illegal migration is the gangs who are working to send people illegally. The Foreign Secretary reiterated External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s remarks that deportation is not a change from past.
EAM Jaishankar on Thursday said in Rajya Sabha that the deportation of Indians who entered the US illegally is not a change from the past. He shared the list of such deportations since 2009.
The Union Minister further called upon a crackdown on the illegal migration industry. Jaishankar said that the government is finding out how illegal migration happened.
