Raipur, April 2025: In a major crackdown linked to the Mahadev betting platform, Raipur police have arrested 14 individuals across three states — Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Assam — for their involvement in placing and accepting bets on the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). This comes amid an ongoing investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the betting racket.
The arrested individuals were reportedly running three online betting “panels” under the Mahadev platform. These panels, namely L95 Lotus, Lotus 651, and LOTUS 656, served as portals for placing online bets. According to police officials, a “panel” is essentially an online interface that allows users to place wagers on various events, including the IPL.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Lal Umed Singh confirmed the arrests, stating that three of the accused had purchased these panels for a substantial amount, ranging from Rs 15-25 lakh, from the owners of the Mahadev platform.
The arrested bookies hailed from diverse locations, with six of them residing in Chhattisgarh, three in Jharkhand, two in Madhya Pradesh, and one each from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Punjab. The arrests followed a tip-off and were carried out over three days, starting with the arrest of 31-year-old Nikhil Vadhvani from Raipur on April 13. Vadhvani was allegedly accepting online bets linked to the Mahadev platform.
Subsequent arrests were made in Kolkata and Guwahati, based on information obtained from Vadhvani. In total, the police have seized a significant cache of materials, including 67 mobile phones, eight laptops, four routers, 94 ATM cards, 15 SIM cards, 32 bank passbooks, and three cheque books. Additionally, a total of Rs 30 lakh in cash was recovered from the accused.
In a further development, SSP Singh revealed that over 500 bank accounts, with transactions amounting to several crores, have been frozen. The police have also requested banks to freeze 1,500 more accounts linked to the betting operations, which are associated with the Mahadev platform as well as other gambling apps.
The Mahadev betting case, which first came to light under the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government in Chhattisgarh, has sparked a political row between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP. Both parties have accused each other of shielding the main accused, Saurabh Chandrakar, and his alleged partner, Ravi Uppal.
In a related development, last month, the CBI conducted searches at the private and official residences of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in connection with the case. Following these raids, CBI sources indicated that Baghel had been named in their FIR as an accused in the ongoing investigation.
As the investigation into the Mahadev betting platform continues, authorities are focusing on further dismantling the illegal gambling network that has gained significant traction among bettors across the country.
