What CBI told special court to seek custody of Mahadev app ‘kingpin’ Saurabh Chandrakar

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) urged a special CBI court in Raipur to grant custody of Saurabh Chandrakar, the alleged kingpin behind the Mahadev betting app case. The agency argued that they require identification of public servants who accepted protection money from him and other co-accused to permit the operation of the betting app in Chhattisgarh.

This protection money was allegedly transferred via the hawala system to government officials, including police and politicians in the state. Chandrakar, who was brought before the court under heavy security, is accused of generating a monthly revenue of around ₹450 crore through the app, with the majority retained by himself and his associates.

The remaining funds were purportedly sent to panel operators who used fraudulently opened bank accounts to collect the app's earnings and distribute them to the promoters. Chandrakar is also said to have facilitated the movement of young individuals from Chhattisgarh to Dubai to support his syndicate. The CBI's counsel alleged that Chandrakar and others paid protection money to officials to avoid legal repercussions for their panel operators.

After arguments, Chandrakar was granted a 10-day remand to CBI custody, after which he was returned to Delhi. Chandrakar's lawyer raised an objection under extradition laws, claiming that Chandrakar was only extradited in relation to an Enforcement Directorate (ED) case, not the CBI case.