Chandrakar used to be a humble juice vendor in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. He is now said to be in his early twenties. The Mahadev app, operated from around 30 centres, has seen a phenomenal one million individual bets in the past year alone.

Prominent Bollywood celebrities including Tiger Shroff, Sunny Leone and Neha Kakkar have emerged as high-profile attendees at Chandrakar’s extravagant Dubai wedding earlier in 2023. A staggering ₹200 crore was splashed out for the lavish event, as per the Hindustan Times.

Only last week, the ED seized assets worth ₹417 crore, spread across Bhopal, Mumbai and Kolkata. While Chandrakar and Uppal operate their business from Dubai where betting is permissible by law, their promotional activities in India have skirted the edge of legality, often changing names to escape detection.

Bollywood connection

It’s worth noting that various Bollywood personalities have been roped in for promotional YouTube videos for the Mahadev Online Book app. However, the ED has maintained discretion, refusing to release the names of those involved. As per HT, payment from the platform went to a prominent comedian, a character actor, a well-known second-tier male celebrity and a female comic star.

The engagement of Bollywood celebrities doesn’t end at the wedding. Another Dubai-based bash took place in September 2022, according to HT, where a jaw-dropping ₹40 crore was allocated to have Bollywood stars grace the occasion. The event was hosted at a swanky seven-star hotel, no less.

Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Ali Asgar, Vishal Dadlani, Elli AvrRam, Bharti Singh, Bhagyashree, Kriti Kharbanda, Nushrratt Bharuccha and Krushna Abhishek were among the celebrity guests at the event, as per HT.

Updated: 16 Sep 2023, 01:33 PM IST