Illegal betting: CBI extradites Mahadev app promoter from Oman

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has extradited Saurabh Chandrakar, promoter of the Mahadev app, in the illegal betting case from Oman, the agency said on Sunday, November 1.

He has been escorted back and will now be produced before the CBI Special Court in Raipur on Monday.

Chandrakar is wanted in two CBI cases in which charge sheets have already been filed. He is also an accused in a separate Enforcement Directorate (ED) case, in which a prosecution complaint has been filed.

The CBI took up the investigation in the Mahadev Online Book (MOB) case on the Chhattisgarh government’s request. According to the agency, MOB was “one of the largest illegal online betting syndicates in the country, run from outside India”.

Based on an Interpol Red Corner Notice against him, Chandrakar was traced and detained by the Royal Oman Police.

The CBI and the ED sent formal extradition requests to Oman, along with evidence against Chandarkar. “The extradition request was pursued in close coordination with the agencies of Government of India and the Interpol National Central Bureau, and with the support of the competent authorities of the Sultanate of Oman.

After the extradition was granted, a CBI team travelled to Muscat and escorted Chandrakar back to India.

What investigation revealed about MOB

According to the CBI, MOB ran an illegal betting network covering cricket, football, card games and other events. Its franchised “panels” and “branches” across India enrolled users and collected their bets.

The proceeds were allegedly routed through multiple mule accounts, layered through a series of transactions and transferred abroad through hawala channels.

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