India
Sourabh Chandrakar extradited from Oman in Rs 6,000-crore Mahadev betting app case
The CBI's return of the alleged Mahadev promoter from Muscat marks a major step for India's push to pursue offshore illegal betting networks and the money they move.
Desh Flash desk2 November 2026, 7:35 am IST2 minUpdated 2 November 2026, 7:35 am IST
The CBI on Sunday brought Sourabh Chandrakar, alleged promoter of the Mahadev online betting syndicate, back to India after securing his extradition from Oman. A CBI team travelled to Muscat and escorted him home. He is due before a CBI Special Court in Raipur on Monday, after a medical examination and on transit remand.
Chandrakar is wanted in two CBI cases where chargesheets are already filed, and in an Enforcement Directorate case where a prosecution complaint has been lodged. The CBI took over the Mahadev probes at the Chhattisgarh government's request.
For markets and the wider economy, the case matters because of the scale and method alleged. Investigators describe one of the country's largest illegal betting operations, run from outside India, taking bets on cricket, football, card games and other events through franchised "panels" and "branches" that enrolled users and collected stakes.
The money trail is the heart of the story. Proceeds were allegedly passed through many mule bank accounts, layered across multiple transactions and sent abroad via hawala channels. Investigators also allege that some of the money paid protection to public servants so the syndicate could operate undisturbed.
Charges in the CBI chargesheets span the Prevention of Corruption Act, Indian Penal Code provisions on criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery, and the Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act. The ED has attached several linked properties in India and abroad.
The route home began with a Red Corner Notice, after which the Royal Oman Police located and detained Chandrakar. The CBI and ED then sent formal extradition requests backed by evidence. Sources in the security establishment say the process was coordinated with several Indian agencies, the Interpol National Central Bureau and Omani authorities.
The takeaway is encouraging for enforcement: international cooperation can reach promoters who base operations overseas. Court proceedings in Raipur will now show how the cases advance.
Source: The Tribune
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