Chandrakar extradition may help unlock Rs 94,000 crore Mahadev betting app probe

Chandrakar, extradited from Oman on Sunday, is a key figure being sought by central agencies investigating a vast illegal betting and money laundering network tied to the Mahadev Online Book app, which allegedly generated proceeds of crime worth around Rs 94,000 crore. The proceeds allegedly funded election campaigns and protected key officials involved in its operation. The case involves 116 individuals, including former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, top police officers, and administration officials.

Chandrakar, who previously expressed willingness to cooperate before fleeing India, is expected to provide valuable insights into the case, which investigators have struggled to unravel. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has moved a special court in Raipur seeking to expedite its application for declaring Chandrakar a fugitive economic offender under the FEO Act, which could potentially allow the agency to confiscate his properties worth over Rs 1,800 crore, primarily located in Dubai.

The case has been registered twice - once by the Raipur Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in March 2024, naming Baghel among the accused, and another by the CBI in December 2024, also naming Baghel as an accused. In 2023, ED conducted searches at the residences of Baghel and Vinod Verma, the political adviser to the then Chief Minister, uncovering further evidence of corruption and money laundering.