The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Saurabh Chandrakar, the alleged mastermind of the Rs 6000 crore Mahadev online betting app scam, on Friday in Raipur while he was in judicial custody. He was produced before a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and his custody has been extended till 19th November.
Chandrakar was extradited from Oman earlier this month and had already been in CBI custody for that case. On 4th November, the designated court granted the CBI eight days’ custody and permitted it to take him to Delhi for questioning. When that period expired, the CBI brought him back to court on Thursday and did not ask for any further custody. The ED then moved for a production warrant, which the court approved the same day, ED counsel Sourabh Kumar Pandey said.
On Friday, Chandrakar was produced before Special Judge (PMLA) Amit Rathore. The ED sought permission to arrest him, which led to considerable argument. The court granted the same. According to the ED lawyer, Chandrakar was arrested at 3.10 pm. The court subsequently allowed the ED’s plea for seven days’ custody.
According to the CBI, Mahadev Online Book was one of the country’s biggest illegal online betting syndicates, run from abroad through a network of branches. It was alleged to offer betting on cricket and football matches, card games, and other events.
The proceeds of the illegal betting were allegedly being passed through several mule bank accounts, layered through various transactions and sent abroad via hawala. A portion of the proceeds was also allegedly being used to pay ‘protection money’ to public functionaries.
The ED is separately looking into the money-laundering aspect of the Mahadev app. The case came to light during the previous Congress government in Chhattisgarh. The ED had previously said its probe revealed the involvement of several high-profile politicians and bureaucrats from the state. After the BJP came to power, the state’s Economic Offences Wing filed an FIR in March 2024 on an ED report, charging criminal conspiracy, cheating, and relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Former CM and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, Ravi Uppal, Saurabh Chandrakar, Shubham Soni and Anil Kumar Agrawal, along with 14 others, have been named as accused. The ED has estimated the proceeds of crime at around Rs 6,000 crore. Chandrakar and co-accused Ravi Uppal (both of Durg district, Chhattisgarh) were the promoters of the Mahadev Book App and the online betting app.
The CBI and ED are now both actively involved in the case following Chandrakar’s extradition and his multiple court appearances this month.
The ED has issued a custody order that will allow it to question him on the money-laundering front related to the betting operations and the alleged layering and overseas transfer of proceeds. Both agencies are continuing their investigations, and further proceedings are expected once the seven-day remand period expires on 19th November.