Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the questioning of Mahadev betting app kingpin Sourabh Chandrakar would reveal who took "protection money" from the syndicate, as the CBI continued its efforts to bring the main accused back to India from abroad.
The CBI secured Chandrakar's extradition from Oman on November 1, 2026, following his detention by the Royal Oman Police pursuant to an Interpol Red Corner Notice. A Delhi court on Monday granted the agency two days' transit remand, permitting production of the accused before the Special Judge of CBI cases at Raipur on or before November 4.
The development comes after the BJP assumed power in Chhattisgarh, when the State Economic Offences Wing registered an FIR in March 2024 naming former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and alleged promoters of the Mahadev app — including Chandrakar, Ravi Uppal and Shubham Soni — as accused. Former Chief Minister Baghel has called the case politically motivated.
Authorities estimate the Mahadev Online Book platform and associated betting websites generated Rs 94,400 crore in proceeds of crime over a decade. The syndicate allegedly operated from a central headquarters in Dubai, franchising betting panels to associates across India and the UAE on a 70:30 profit-sharing arrangement. Investigators have traced significant expenditures including a Rs 200-crore wedding in the UAE attended by celebrities and properties linked to Chandrakar in Dubai valued at approximately Rs 3,500 crore.
Chandrakar, who ran a juice shop in Bhilai before allegedly building the betting empire, obtained a Vanuatu passport in May 2022 while still holding an Indian passport, which was subsequently revoked. He was arrested in Oman's Muscat in June 2026 for allegedly entering the country on a forged passport.
His interrogation is expected to reveal the network's operations and allegations of protection payments to public servants. The CBI and ED have been investigating the money-laundering and illegal betting network that spans India and overseas.
