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Who is Saurabh Chandrakar and why is he wanted
Saurabh Chandrakar, who hails from Chhattisgarh’s Bhilai and had humble beginnings as a juice shop owner there, co-founded an App Mahadev Online Book along with fellow Bhilai resident Ravi Uppal in 2018. Chandrakar is said to be the kingpin of a large network of illegal betting panels that they both, along with other accused, were running across the country. They enrolled users and ran games and betting markets that generated illegal profits. The money generated was then laundered and transferred abroad. The scam is pegged at around ₹6,000 crore, and the CBI described it as one of the largest illegal betting syndicates unearthed in the country, run from outside Indian soil. It is alleged that the share from the proceeds of crime generated through the scam was also given to public servants.
In 2019, the duo left India and continued to run the betting app from “West Asian countries”.
While the probe into the betting cases and the money laundering linked to it began in 2023, that same year videos of a lavish wedding ceremony hosted by Chandrakar in Dubai emerged. Later in 2023, the scam became a political issue in the run-up to the Assembly elections when, just days before the polling date, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) claimed that it was probing an alleged payment of about ₹508 crore by the Mahadev betting app promoters to the then Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel over a period of time. Mr. Baghel denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated.
How did the syndicate work
The MOB allegedly facilitated illegal betting through multiple online platforms and domain names such as Tiger Exchange, Gold365 and Laser247. The money generated was systematically layered through thousands of mules or dummy bank accounts opened using KYC documents of unsuspecting individuals. These funds were then transferred outside India through hawala channels, cryptocurrency transactions and complex financial layering mechanisms, and were eventually invested in high-value movable and immovable assets in the UAE and India.
The probe so far
In 2024, 70 cases related to the alleged Mahadev app scam were handed over to the CBI, while the ED has been probing the money laundering linked to the cases. On Thursday (July 9, 2026), the CBI stated that it has filed five chargesheets against 66 accused persons in cases linked to the Mahadev betting app. The latest chargesheet was filed against accused Ashim Das, Rohit Gulati, Vikas Chhaparia, Anil Dhammani, Vishal Ahuja, and Dheeraj Ahuja and also contained fresh evidence against Chandrakar and Uppal.
In March this year, the ED said it had arrested 13 persons in the case and named 74 persons as accused. Additionally, it attached 20 immovable properties having a fair market value of nearly ₹ 1,700 crore under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. Of these, 18 are in Dubai, including high-value luxury villas, apartments in Dubai Hills Estate (including Hills View, Fairway Residency and Sidra), multiple high-end apartments in Business Bay and SLS Hotel & Residences, as well as apartments in the iconic Burj Khalifa. And all those belong to Chandrakar, according to the ED.
But what about Chandrakar
Efforts to bring him back to India have been going on since 2024. That year, a non-bailable warrant was issued by a Raipur special PMLA court, based on which Interpol issued a red corner notice against the absconding accused. The papers related to extradition had been sent to Dubai back then, but the extradition did not happen. This year, in mid June, the ED again learnt that Chandrakar was traced to Oman and got another NBW issued, which, along with other relevant documents, was sent to the consulate general of India for getting the alleged kingpin extradited from Oman.
Extradition, investigators contend, is a complex and long-drawn process even when another country has an extradition treaty with India. The agencies’ own role is limited to preparing the documents needed for extradition and handing them over to the Ministry of External Affairs. The papers have to be submitted to the country concerned within a stipulated period (30 to 60 days according to Mr. Pande) after the red corner notice has been issued. Even if the papers are sent on time, the other country verifies them, and any discrepancy can lead to a rejection of the extradition request. Even if there are no discrepancies, the papers are sent from the consulate to the government and then to its court. The person whose extradition is sought is also given an equivalent right to defend his case in that country’s court. Even if the evasive accused loses in the court, he or she can approach a higher court.
Published – July 10, 2026 03:17 pm IST
