Mahadev betting app scam ‘kingpin’ Saurabh Chandrakar remanded to seven days in judicial custody

A special CBI court has granted Saurabh Chandrakar, the alleged mastermind behind the Mahadev betting app scam, seven days of judicial custody. Chandrakar will remain in custody until November 19. His lawyer informed the court that the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) attempt to execute a non-bailable warrant against Chandrakar had been rejected.

The ED intends to request custody from the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court. On November 4, the CBI argued that they required Chandrakar's presence to identify government officials who received "protection money" from him and other accused individuals to permit the betting app's operation. The agency claimed the hawala method was used by Chandrakar and other accused to pay "protection money" to government officials, including police and politicians in Chhattisgarh.

According to CBI counsel, Chandrakar, along with co-accused Ravi Uppal, Shubham Soni, and others, allegedly generated Rs 450 crore monthly from the app since 2020, with around 80% of the funds retained by them and the rest distributed to panel operators. These operators used fraudulently opened bank accounts to collect the betting app money and transfer it to the promoters, including Chandrakar, who resided in the UAE.

The ED also alleged that Chandrakar and others paid "protection money" to prevent legal action against their panel operators in Chhattisgarh, which were used to buy properties by several officials and politicians. An FIR has been filed against Chandrakar for cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy, and corruption under various Indian laws.