Raipur, Nov 4, 5:14PM A special court in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur on Wednesday granted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) eight-day custody of Saurabh Chandrakar, the alleged kingpin of the Rs 6,000-crore Mahadev online betting app scam.
Chandrakar, who was recently extradited from Oman, was sent to a two-day CBI transit remand on Monday as the agency wanted to bring him to Chhattisgarh for production before the trial court in the case.
He was brought to Raipur in the CBI custody on a private flight on Tuesday evening, officials said.
On Wednesday, Chandrakar was produced before Special Judge (CBI) Manoj Kumar Singh Thakur in Raipur and the central investigative agency sought his custody for 10 days, defence lawyer Tushar Giri told PTI.
The court granted eight days custody of the accused to the central probe agency, he said.
The court allowed the CBI to take Chandrakar to Delhi for questioning, he added.
It accepted certain requests made by the defence, including allowing Chandrakar's lawyers and family members to meet him and ensuring that his interrogation takes place under CCTV surveillance, Giri said.
The defence also raised a legal objection concerning extradition laws, arguing that Chandrakar had been extradited in connection with an Enforcement Directorate (ED) case and not the CBI case.
"Under international law and bilateral extradition treaties, a person can be tried and prosecuted only for the offences for which he has been extradited. In this case, Chandrakar was extradited in connection with the ED case, not the CBI case," Giri said.
He, however, said the defence did not want to raise unnecessary objections or create an impression that it was not cooperating with the investigation.
Dismissing concerns over Chandrakar's security, Giri said the issue had been unnecessarily made contentious by the media.
"This is a case relating to a betting application, an activity that is legal in several parts of the world, although it is illegal in India. Until recently, several large corporate entities, whose promoters did not come from ordinary backgrounds like Saurabh Chandrakar, had grown so influential that even the Indian cricket team wore their logos," he said.
Perhaps Chandrakar is being targeted because he comes from a small place like Chhattisgarh, he added.
According to the CBI, investigations showed that Mahadev Online Book was among the country's largest illegal online betting syndicates, which allegedly operated from outside India through a network of franchised panels and branches.
The platform allegedly facilitated betting on cricket, football, card games and other events, enrolling users and collecting stakes through its network across the country, it said.
The agency alleged that proceeds generated through illegal betting were routed through numerous mule bank accounts, layered through multiple transactions and transferred abroad through hawala channels.
Part of the proceeds was also allegedly used to pay protection money to public servants to ensure the syndicate operated without a hindrance, the CBI said.
The ED has been investigating alleged money laundering linked to the Mahadev app. The case came to light during the previous Congress government led by Bhupesh Baghel in Chhattisgarh.
The ED had earlier claimed that its probe brought to light the involvement of several high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from the state.
After the BJP government came to power, the state's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) registered an FIR in March 2024 based on an ED report, invoking charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, app promoters Ravi Uppal, Saurabh Chandrakar, Shubham Soni and Anil Kumar Agrawal, along with 14 others, were named as accused in the EOW FIR.
In August 2024, the state government handed over 70 cases related to the alleged betting app scam registered at various police stations, along with one EOW case, to the CBI.
The ED has estimated the proceeds of crime in the alleged scam at around Rs 6,000 crore and attached several properties in India and abroad linked to the syndicate.
Chandrakar and co-accused Ravi Uppal, both residents of Durg district in Chhattisgarh, allegedly promoted the Mahadev Book App and operated online betting through a network of panel and branch operators.
Hundreds of bank accounts were allegedly opened on a commission basis to route the proceeds of illegal betting to the UAE. The accused allegedly operated the syndicate from Dubai, described as its 'head office', and employed a large number of youths from Chhattisgarh as managers, the agency said.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai had on Monday termed Chandrakar's extradition a major success, saying his questioning would help establish the identities of those who allegedly received protection money from the betting syndicate.
Meanwhile, after Chandrakar's extradition, former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel said his government had written to the Centre in 2023 seeking the issuance of lookout circulars against Chandrakar and another promoter, Ravi Uppal.
Baghel had said his government registered 72 FIRs in connection with the alleged online betting scam in 2022 and subsequently approached the Union Home Ministry in 2023 for the lookout circulars.
He had earlier termed the EOW FIR against him as "politically motivated".
Raipur, Nov 4, 3:07PM A special court in Chhattisgarh's Raipur on Wednesday granted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) eight-day custody of Saurabh Chandrakar, the alleged kingpin in the Rs 6,000-crore Mahadev online betting app case, officials said.
Chandrakar, who was recently extradited from Oman, was sent to a two-day CBI transit remand on Monday as the agency wanted to bring him to Chhattisgarh for production before the trial court in the case.
He was brought to Raipur in the CBI custody on a private flight on Tuesday evening, they said.
On Wednesday, Chandrakar was produced before Special Judge (CBI) Manoj Kumar Singh Thakur in Raipur and the central investigative agency sought his custody for 10 days, Defence Lawyer Tushar Giri told PTI.
The court granted eight days custody of the accused to the central agency, he said.
The court allowed the CBI to take Chandrakar to Delhi for questioning, he added.
The CBI had registered an FIR on December 18, 2024, taking over the investigation from the State Economic Offence Bureau of Chhattisgarh following notifications issued by the state government and the Centre.
It is alleged that Chandrakar and co-accused Ravi Uppal, along with associates, promoted the Mahadev Book App and ran online betting through panel and branch operators.
Hundreds of bank accounts were allegedly opened on the basis of commission and the illegal betting proceeds were routed to the UAE through various accounts.
The accused allegedly operated the syndicate from Dubai, which was called its 'Head Office', and employed a large number of youth from Chhattisgarh as managers.
