At the Akashganga complex in Bhilai, Saurabh Chandrakar is a well-known name. Ask anyone and they will point you to Sooraj Mobile, a shop where locals say Chandrakar would often hang around.
A group of men at a paan shop near the entrance of the complex claim to know the Mahadev App founder since 2019. None of them want to come on record, fearing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the police, but they talk freely once assured that their names will not be revealed.
“His father used to work in Nagar Nigam. You can imagine the financial status of the family. He was as average as it can get. Nobody, not even he, would have imagined this kind of money coming his way,” said Rakesh*.
The Nagar Nigam building is just around the corner from the Akashganga complex. The Himalaya Building, locals say, was frequented by many who were interested in betting. Chandrakar was a cricket enthusiast and his journey into the world of betting, as per the initial probe, started from here.
Mahesh*, who has a mobile shop in the Himalaya complex, claims to be Chandrakar’s friend. “My mobile shop earlier used to be down this road, right next to where he (Chandrakar) used to sit. For 8-9 months, we would interact daily till the lockdown when his Mahadev App IDs started selling like hot cakes,” he told CNN-News18.
As per ED, Chandrakar met Ravi Uppal — the co-promoter of Mahadev App — as the Covid-19 lockdown hit and together, they started the app.
Local youth were employed as ‘checkers’ who would coordinate with the ‘betting panel’ and monitor their accounts. Some of these panels were based in Punjab, Dehradun and even abroad in countries like Netherlands, UAE etc. Linkages to Sri Lanka, UK and Australia are also being probed.
Uppal’s connections brought in Kolkata-based alleged Hawala operator Vikas Chaparia into the core team for handling the overseas Hawala operations, as per ED. The profit earned from Mahadev App was shared among the promoters and local operators in a 70-30 ratio. It was laundered in various ways, including investment in stock market via foreign portfolio. A huge chunk of the profit was also allegedly invested in a fast food chain called ‘Juice Factory’ and 14 franchises were operated across the country.
“He started this juice factory, then invested in chowpatty (a cart that sells snacks in the evening). Soon, he moved to Dubai and then called his entire family there,” Ajay Singh*, who claims to have known Chandrakar from his initial days, said.
At the Nehru Nagar juice factory, CNN-News18 saw a steady stream of youngsters coming for juices, sandwiches and fast-food. Diya Rathod, who had come with her friend, said: “The food here is nice. The place was shut for a week but it has opened again now.” The outlet was closed down after ED raids on October 7 but is back in business.
ELECTION ISSUE? NOT REALLY
Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Dr Raman Singh alleged that Mahadev App promoters were aided by the top politicians and bureaucrats of the state. “This scam goes right up to the doorsteps of the chief minister’s residence,” he told News18 in an exclusive interview. Meanwhile, at a public rally, Home Minister Amit Shah promised a thorough investigation if the BJP came to power in the poll-bound state. “Kisi ko bakhsha nahi jayega,” he said.
However, for the people of Bhilai, the scam may hit headlines but is not an election issue. Atharv Kumar, who works in the finance sector, lamented that Bhilai — which was famous for its steel factory and top engineers and doctors — was getting a bad name. “Shocking toh tha hamare liye ki Bhilai ka ladka itna bada scam kar sakta hai per ye chunavi mudda nahi hai. Wahan to mehangai, berozgaari, development hi issues hain [It was shocking for us to see a Bhilai lad engineer such a scam but this is not an election issue. The polls will be fought on inflation, unemployment and development],” he said.
Ganpath, a businessman in the mobile market, said everything was going well for Chandrakar till his wedding. “The way he splurged on his wedding led to all this attention and ultimately his downfall,” he added.
*Names changed to protect identity