The Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing the Mahadev app money laundering case, received a major setback when it came to light that one of the prime accused, Ravi Uppal, fled Dubai, where he was detained. Uppal’s ‘missing’ comes despite India sending a formal extradition request through official diplomatic channels.
Uppal was arrested in Dubai in December 2023 after Interpol issued a Red Corner Notice against him. Uppal was freed 45 days later, but was under supervision due to the extradition notice pending against him.
However, much to the dismay of the ED, Uppal vanished from Dubai. The UAE authorities have also not informed India about Uppal's destination.
Ironically, the Dubai authorities informed the ED that they had not received the extradition request, according to a report from The Times of India. These claims contradict the documentation available with the ED authorities; the report quoted a source.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has already approached the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) seeking its intervention to ensure that the UAE adheres to the treaty commitments. “The MEA guidelines on extradition procedures clearly state that a formal extradition request must be submitted within 45 to 60 days from the date of provisional arrest, and even if the fugitive is released, it does not preclude re-arrest and extradition once the request is received," a senior official said.
The extradition treaty between India and the UAE, signed in 2000, has helped India extradite several accused, including those accused in the AgustaWestland case. In 2019, the UAE extradited Christian Michel, Deepak Talwar, and Rajiv Saxena, in connection with the AgustaWestland scam. In September 2025, a wanted Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist, Parminder Singh, was extradited from Abu Dhabi.
