CBI secures extradition of Mahadev betting app promoter Sourabh Chandrakar from Oman

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday said it had secured the extradition of Sourabh Chandrakar, promoter of the Mahadev online betting syndicate, from Oman.

A CBI team that travelled to the Sultanate escorted him to India. He is expected to be produced before a special court in Raipur on Monday.

Chandrakar was wanted in two CBI cases in which chargesheets have been filed, as well as in a case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in which a prosecution complaint has been filed, the agency said in a statement.


The accused will undergo a medical examination and be taken to Raipur after the CBI obtains transit remand. He will be produced before the CBI Special Judge in Raipur on November 2, the agency said.

The CBI said it had taken up the investigation into the Mahadev Online Book cases on a request from the Chhattisgarh government. Its investigation found that the platform was among the country's largest illegal online betting syndicates and operated from outside India.

According to the agency, the syndicate offered betting on cricket, football, card games and other events through a network of franchised "panels" and "branches" across India. These outlets enrolled users and collected betting stakes.

The proceeds were allegedly routed through numerous mule bank accounts, layered through multiple transactions and transferred abroad through hawala channels. The CBI alleged that a portion of the proceeds was used to pay protection money to public servants to enable the syndicate to operate without hindrance.