In a coordinated operation between the Gujarat and Chhattisgarh Police, Dinesh Kumar Vyas, a notorious hawala operator also known as Dinesh Bhai, has been apprehended from Patan, Gujarat. Vyas is alleged to be deeply involved with the Mahadev online betting app, managing its financial operations.
The arrest follows a rigorous two-month manhunt led by the Chhattisgarh Police, which culminated last week. A nationwide lookout notice had been issued for Vyas in July, prompting law enforcement agencies to track him to Patan, Gujarat. Following his arrest by the Gujarat Police, Vyas was placed on transit remand and brought to Durg, Chhattisgarh, for further investigation.
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Law enforcement sources reveal that Ahmedabad-based hawala operator, Dinesh Vyas allegedly played a pivotal role in managing the financial operations of the Mahadev betting app and its subsidiary platforms. According to reliable sources, Vyas has emerged as a key associate of the Mahadev betting app promoter. From Ahmedabad, he managed sophisticated hawala operations to funnel illicit funds from Mahadev Betting and other subsidiary betting apps abroad.Vyas’s name surfaced during the interrogation of Vinay Kumar Yadav, alias ‘Super Star,’ an associate responsible for managing panel operations and betting funds.Yadav was apprehended on June 28 while accepting bets on the World Cup final via the Mahadev subsidiary app, Satta App.
Durg Additional SP Crime, Richa Mishra,who is leading the investigation, told the Free Press Journal that during the interrogation Vyas attempted to mislead investigators by naming other individuals. claiming that they were involved in the case and had been framed as part of a well-orchestrated conspiracy. We have uncovered significant links to major hawala operations and transaction details, which establish that Vyas transferred betting funds abroad through various shell companies set up by the Mahadev betting operators and their close associates.
During interrogation, Vyas claimed that he was originally an Angadiya by profession, managing cash transactions between businessmen and receiving commissions from both parties. He stopped working as an Angadiya 2 to 3 years ago. However, last year, he met Ravi Singh, another Angadiya from a nearby village. Vyas stated that Singh offered him the opportunity to restart his Angadiya business in Chhattisgarh. Singh provided Vyas with contacts of several associates and businessmen involved in Angadia transactions and assured him that an associate in Chhattisgarh would assist him, with Vyas only needing to oversee operations from Ahmedabad. Singh also promised that if the business ran smoothly, he would join him soon.
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It was only in July, during a search and raid conducted by the Durg police, that Vyas discovered Ravi Singh was operating a betting and hawala business under his name. According to Vyas, he took over the work based on his trust in Ravi Singh and had no knowledge of the Rs 80 lakh in cash that was recovered. He also claimed to be unaware of the identities of the individuals whose accounts he transferred money to abroad through hawala.
According to Durg Additional SP Crime, Richa Mishra, after Vyas’s name was revealed in the investigation, authorities have been actively searching for him. In July, Vyas’s last known location was at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, where he was spotted attempting to board a flight to Nagpur before fleeing. Despite a swift alert from the Chhattisgarh police to Mumbai police, Vyas managed to evade capture in a dramatic escape. During interrogation, Vyas revealed that he had been tipped off about the Mumbai police’s imminent plans to apprehend him. Acting on this information, he abandoned his flight plans, quickly made his way to CST Railway Station, and boarded a train to Nagpur. After a brief stay in Nagpur, he returned to Mumbai before eventually relocating to his hometown in Sakin Village, Chanasma District, Patan, Gujarat.
The search for Vyas began after the Durg Police conducted a raid on his Raipur premises in July, seizing a staggering Rs 80 lakh in cash, two mobile phones, a note-counting machine, and eight bundles of currency notes in denominations of Re 1, Rs 2, Rs 5, Rs 10, and Rs 20. These denominations were used as codes to facilitate illegal money transfers under a token system. During the investigation, three individuals linked to Vyas’s hawala operations were also arrested.
The investigation revealed that the sophisticated betting network involved several partners managing multiple betting panels on the Satta App and the Lotus 365 betting app, collecting profits after final settlements. The arrested accused, Vinay Kumar Yadav, alias ‘Super Star,’ received a token number from a senior network member via a WhatsApp group to facilitate the transfer of funds, retaining a 5 percent commission for himself. Yadav would then visit Vyas’s office at Shankar Nagar, Bhilai, where the token number was verified, and the cash was handed over. Vyas allegedly routed these funds through a hawala network to facilitate illegal transfers abroad to the Mahadev betting promoters and their associates.
