CBI widens Mahadev betting probe to Nagpur bookies after Ravi Nagar raid

Nagpur: The CBI is tightening its grip on the international betting network of Saurabh Chandrakar, the kingpin of the Mahadev online betting app. After the raid on a bookie's house in Ravi Nagar, the agency has begun tracing the roots of his local network active in Nagpur. The names of several of the city's cricket bookies are reported to be on the investigating agency's radar. Their roles and their alleged links with Chandrakar's network are being examined. Action against their premises is said to be likely once Delhi gives the go-ahead.

The CBI's 14 November raid in Ravi Nagar has caused a stir in the city's cricket betting circles. Several bookies have gone underground on getting wind of the action. According to CBI sources, information is being gathered on the local bookmakers linked to the Ravi Nagar bookie who was raided. Some names are said to have surfaced in the initial investigation. The agency is now going through their activities, financial transactions, movable and immovable property, and details of their foreign travel.

The Ravi Nagar bookie may reveal many secrets

On 14 November, the CBI raided more than 35 locations across the country in a major action in the Mahadev online betting case. As part of this action, the premises of a bookie in Ravi Nagar, Nagpur, also came under investigation. Known by the name "Sheikh", he is said to have been active in cricket betting for a long time. He is reported to have contacts with several big bookmakers in Nagpur. The CBI is now following this lead to uncover the layers of the local betting network.

From modest means to a empire worth crores

The alleged change in the financial standing of some bookies active in the city's betting trade over the past decade may also become an important part of the investigation. Some bookmakers who once lived in modest circumstances have, in a short time, built a lavish lifestyle and property worth crores. Their business is said to extend from Nagpur to Dubai. The agency may also examine records of their foreign travel. Passport, visa and overseas stay details are likely to help link their international contacts. Their regular travel to Dubai and other countries in particular is seen as important to examine. Several bookies are also said to have bought vast property in Dubai.

Names of Jaripatka bookies also doing the rounds

Some bookies from the Jaripatka area are also reported to be linked to the Mahadev betting network. Names such as Bunty, Rohan, Shukla, Jackie and Paresh are being mentioned. Bunty is said to run a betting book under the name "Mercury", while Boma is known as "Jaguar" and Vishal as "Bixon". Jackie and Shukla are also said to have a good hold on the cricket betting business. Paresh was earlier close to Boma. Boma's name came up some time ago in a case of assault and intimidation. He then shifted to Mumbai. However, the actual role of all these people in the Mahadev network can be confirmed only after investigation.

Probe intensified after Saurabh's arrest

Chandrakar, the kingpin of the Mahadev online betting app, ran a network of cricket betting, football betting and online gambling in India while sitting abroad. The CBI brought him to India from Oman on 1 November. After his CBI custody ended, the ED arrested him. He is currently in ED custody until 19 November.

After his arrest and the nationwide raids on his network, the investigating agencies are now also watching Nagpur's betting operators. The question is how many of the city's big bookmakers the probe that began with one Ravi Nagar bookie will reach, and whether the entire network of the alleged betting empire spreading from Nagpur to Dubai can be exposed.