New Delhi, Nov. 4 -- Ravi Uppal, co-founder of Mahadev Online Book App, the man who, who along with Sourabh Chandrakar created an illegal betting empire worth several thousand crore rupees and was arrested in Dubai in December 2023 based on an Interpol red notice, has fled from the gulf country to an "unknown location", highly placed officials told HT. UAE authorities have not disclosed to India "his exit route or destination" but have initiated "closure of his extradition proceedings", the officials added. The development comes as a major setback for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Chhattisgarh Police, which were hoping to have Uppal and Chandrakar extradited from Dubai, considering the friendly relations between the two countries. "We have been informed through formal channels that Ravi Uppal has left the UAE to an unknown location. Dubai has not provided any information on his exit route or destination, even though the red notice against him remains active," said a government officer, on anonymity. This officer added that "the UAE has also proposed closing the extradition proceedings against Ravi Uppal". Uppal and his partner in the Rs.6,000 crore fraud, Chandrakar, started Mahadev online betting app syndicate in 2018. The illegal betting operations, still running across India despite the government banning multiple platforms and apps linked to Mahadev, allows people to place illegal bets on poker and other card games, games of chance , cricket, badminton, tennis and football matches, and even election outcomes. ED has claimed in one of its charge sheets in the case that the "betting empire" was operating at least 3,200 (betting) panels in different cities, generating around Rs.240 crore per day. Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel is also named as accused in the investigation. Uppal was arrested in Dubai in December 2023 based on an Interpol notice....