Indian Bookie Saurabh Chandarkar and his associate Ravi Utpal, who have been running various illegal betting businesses online with the help of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and are wanted by security agencies across India, have been detained in Sri Lanka.

According to Time of India, Mahadev Book provides online platforms for illegal betting in different live games, such as cricket, poker, badminton, tennis and football. It also provides an avenue to bet on different elections in India.

If sources are to be believed, the duo has been detained on request from Interpol on behalf of the Indian security agency and is likely to be extradited. 

Their detention has become a talking point among bookies and senior police officers in Mumbai even though there are hardly any cases against the duo in Mumbai. 

An official from IB said Chandarkar and Utpal were detained after Lookout notices were issued against them by Raipur Police three months ago. “We, too, have learnt that Chandarkar and Utpal of Mahadev Book have been detained in Sri Lanka,” said an official of the crime branch, which is keeping tabs on the development as the bookmaker is associated with Dawood Ibrahim.

Their detention also assumes significance in the wake of the Enforcement Directorate last week arresting four persons in Chattisgarh in the alleged money laundering case related to Mahadev online betting. There is speculation that a few politicians and policemen have invested heavily on Mahadev Book. 

According to reports from Chhattisgarh police, Mahadev app is being operated from around 30 centres with around a million individuals placing bets on it last year.