Government officials took ‘protection money’, need to identify: Why CBI sought custody of Mahadev app’s Chandrakar

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is seeking to identify government officials who allegedly accepted protection money from Saurabh Chandrakar, a key figure in the Mahadev betting app case. The agency informed the special CBI court in Raipur that Chandrakar and others used the hawala system to pay protection money to police, politicians, and government officials in Chhattisgarh.

Chandrakar, who was extradited to India from Dubai, was accused of generating around Rs 450 crore per month through the betting app from 2020, with around 70-80% of the income retained by him and his co-accused. The remaining funds were reportedly sent to panel operators through fraudulent bank accounts, which were used to facilitate the betting app's operations.

The CBI counsel argued that Chandrakar and others paid protection money to prevent legal action against the panel operators in the state. After the court arguments, Chandrakar was remanded to CBI custody for eight days. His lawyer raised a legal objection under extradition law, which bars prosecution for offenses other than those for which a person was extradited.

The CBI had separately filed an extradition application, but no order was issued. The lawyer also mentioned that betting apps are legal in several parts of the world, and Chandrakar might be targeted due to his origin from Chhattisgarh. An FIR has been registered against Chandrakar for cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy, and corruption under various Indian laws.