CBI Extradites Mahadev Betting App Promoter Sourabh Chandrakar From Oman
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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has extradited Sourabh Chandrakar, a promoter of the Mahadev Online Book betting platform, from Oman to India.
A specially deputed CBI team brought Chandrakar back yesterday following coordination between Indian agencies and Omani authorities, the agency said in a statement.
He is expected to be produced before a CBI Special Court in Raipur today after a medical examination and completion of transit remand formalities.
Chandrakar faces two CBI cases in which chargesheets have been filed, besides a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in which a prosecution complaint has been filed.
The Royal Oman Police located and detained him following an Interpol Red Corner Notice. The CBI and ED subsequently submitted formal extradition requests, supported by evidence gathered against him.
The process was coordinated through Indian government agencies and Interpol’s National Central Bureau, with support from Omani authorities. The CBI described his extradition as a significant step in bringing back fugitives accused of running transnational criminal operations targeting Indian citizens.
How The Network Operated
The CBI took up the Mahadev Online Book cases at the Chhattisgarh government’s request.
According to investigators, the platform operated from outside India through a network of franchised panels and branches that enrolled users and facilitated illegal betting on cricket, football, card games, and other events.
The CBI alleged that betting proceeds were routed through mule bank accounts, layered across multiple transactions, and transferred overseas through hawala channels. Part of the money was allegedly paid to public servants as protection money to allow the syndicate to operate without hindrance.
ED’s Overseas Asset Trail
The ED has estimated the proceeds of crime in the Mahadev betting app case at around ₹6,000 Cr. Its investigation has also examined alleged links to senior politicians and bureaucrats in Chhattisgarh.
In March, the agency provisionally attached 20 properties with an estimated market value of nearly ₹1,700 Cr under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
These included 18 properties in Dubai, comprising villas and apartments in Burj Khalifa, Dubai Hills Estate, Business Bay, and SLS Hotel & Residences, besides two properties in New Delhi.
The ED alleged that the properties were acquired using illegal betting proceeds and held through entities controlled by Chandrakar and his associates, including Vikas Chhaparia, Rohit Gulati, Atul Arora, and Surendra Bagri.
According to the agency, Mahadev Online Book facilitated betting through platforms and domain names such as Tiger Exchange, Gold365, and Laser247. Chandrakar and fellow promoter Ravi Uppal allegedly controlled the franchise network from Dubai.
The promoters allegedly retained 70-75% of the betting profits, with the remainder distributed among panel operators. Investigators said the proceeds were moved through mule and dummy bank accounts, hawala channels, cryptocurrency transactions, and layered financial structures before being invested in assets in India and the UAE.
In its March 25 statement, the ED put the cumulative value of assets attached, seized, or frozen at around ₹4,336 Cr. At that point, it had searched more than 175 locations, arrested 13 people, and filed five prosecution complaints against 74 accused.
The agency also said it had filed applications under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, against Chandrakar, Uppal, Anil Agrawal alias Atul Agrawal, and Shubham Soni, seeking their declaration as fugitive economic offenders and confiscation of their properties.
The wider investigation has also examined alleged links involving EaseMyTrip cofounder Nishant Pitti and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel. Both have denied wrongdoing.
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