RAIPUR: A special court in Raipur has granted the CBI eight days' custody of Saurabh Chandrakar, the alleged kingpin of the Rs 6,000-crore Mahadev online betting app case, officials said on Wednesday.
Chandrakar, who was recently extradited from Oman, was granted a two-day CBI transit remand on Monday as the agency wanted to produce him before the trial court in Chhattisgarh. He was brought to Raipur in CBI custody on a private flight on Tuesday evening.
On Wednesday, he was produced before Special Judge (CBI) Manoj Kumar Singh Thakur. The agency sought 10 days of custody, defence lawyer Tushar Giri said. However, the court granted eight days and allowed the CBI to take him to Delhi for questioning.
The CBI registered an FIR on December 18, 2024, taking over the investigation from the State Economic Offence Bureau following notifications issued by the state government and the Centre.
According to the allegations, Chandrakar and co-accused Ravi Uppal, along with their associates, promoted the Mahadev Book App and operated online betting through panel and branch operators. Hundreds of bank accounts were allegedly opened on a commission basis, with the proceeds routed to the UAE through various accounts.
The accused allegedly operated the syndicate from Dubai, which was described as its "head office", and employed a large number of young people from Chhattisgarh as managers. (with inputs from media organisations)