Mahadev Betting App Key Suspect Saurabh Chandrakar Remanded in CBI Custody

Saurabh Chandrakar, the 31-year-old alleged kingpin of the Mahadev betting app, has been remanded in CBI custody for eight days and will be taken to the agency's headquarters in New Delhi.

Investigation and Arrests

While Chandrakar was brought into the CBI net recently, several other key figures including Ravi Uppal, Shubham Soni, and Vikas Chhaparia are believed to be in Dubai police custody. The Enforcement Directorate has filed five prosecution complaints in a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court in Raipur against 116 accused, which includes some companies. Out of these, one accused is in judicial custody and 12 are out on bail, while authorities continue to trace the rest. Investigators have attached assets worth nearly Rs 9,000 crore so far, treating them as proceeds of crime involving both movable property like cash, share capital, bank deposits, and jewellery, as well as immovable property like land. According to ED counsel Saurabh Kumar Pandey, Chandrakar fled from Dubai to Oman during the Iranian crisis before Omani authorities accepted an extradition request made by ED Raipur.

Political Row

The case has triggered a major political tussle involving former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. Shubham Soni had earlier made a viral video claiming he gave Rs 508 crore to Baghel and paid protection money to politicians and police. Days prior to the video, the ED arrested a driver named Asim Das and claimed to recover Rs 5.39 crore from him, though Das later changed his statements multiple times regarding whether he delivered money to Baghel. Baghel rejected the allegations as a political attempt by the BJP to defame his government using central agencies. After the BJP came to power, the state EOW named Baghel, Chandrakar, Soni and 15 others in the case, which was later handed over to the CBI in 2024. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai stated that Chandrakar's questioning will reveal who received protection money, while Baghel questioned the contradictions between claims made by central agencies and accused individuals regarding who actually owns the app.

Context

High-profile financial fraud cases involving illegal betting platforms often cross international borders, requiring complex coordination between domestic law enforcement agencies like the CBI and ED, and foreign authorities through extradition processes. Such investigations frequently intersect with local political tensions when allegations implicate prominent political figures.