Mahadev betting app promoter extradited from Oman, to face CBI court today

Sourabh Chandrakar, the promoter of the Mahadev betting app, has been extradited from Oman to face charges in India, according to the CBI. The 39-year-old is accused of running an illegal online betting network and paying protection money to public officials. A special CBI team transported him to India, where he will appear before a court in Raipur on Monday.

Chandrakar is wanted in three ongoing investigations, including two CBI cases and one Enforcement Directorate (ED) case. His extradition was made possible through an Interpol Red Corner Notice and subsequent extradition requests from the CBI and ED. The CBI took charge of the Mahadev Online Book cases upon the request of the Chhattisgarh government, describing it as one of the country's largest illegal online betting syndicates.

Investigators allege that the operation was run from outside India through franchised "panels" and "branches" that recruited users and collected bets on various sporting events. The agency claims that betting revenues were diverted through numerous intermediary bank accounts and transferred abroad via hawala channels, with a portion of the money paid to public servants to facilitate the network's operations.