Mahadev betting app case: Saurabh Chandrakar sent to eight days in CBI custody

A special CBI court in Raipur has sent Saurabh Chandrakar, the main accused in the Mahadev online betting app scam, to CBI custody for eight days. The court passed the order at a hearing on Wednesday (the 4th). Chandrakar will now be taken to the CBI headquarters in Delhi for questioning. He will be produced in court again on November 12.

Officials and lawyers of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) were also present at the hearing. The ED has also sought Chandrakar's custody. Chandrakar's lawyer, Tushar Giri, opposed the CBI's remand plea and called it wrong. Heavy police deployment was made at the court premises in view of the hearing.

Chandrakar, the main accused in the alleged online betting scam of about Rs 6,000 crore, was brought to Raipur from Delhi by the CBI on Tuesday. He was brought to India from Oman through extradition proceedings. On Monday, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi had handed him over to the CBI on a two-day transit remand.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the main accused in the case had been brought to India. He said more names could emerge during the CBI's questioning. He also targeted the Congress, alleging that the party weakened democracy for its own benefit.

Chhattisgarh Congress president Deepak Baij claimed at a press conference that co-accused Ravi Uppal and Shubham Soni are still absconding. He asked where Shubham Soni was. According to Baij, Soni released the video linked to the Mahadev app during the 2023 election. Baij also claimed that more than 72 FIRs were registered in the case during the previous Congress government, and that several raids and arrests were also carried out.

Chandrakar's lawyers had earlier questioned the extradition process. Citing an order of the Oman court, they argued that India's request was approved only in the ED's case, not in the CBI's case. The lawyers say action can be taken only in the cases on the basis of which he was extradited.

The CBI is investigating the cases linked to the Mahadev betting app. The Chhattisgarh government had handed 13 FIRs in the case to the CBI, of which chargesheets have been filed in two. The ED is separately investigating the money laundering angle, and a prosecution complaint has been filed against Saurabh Chandrakar.

According to the CBI, Chandrakar, Ravi Uppal and their associates promoted the Mahadev app, created several platforms for online betting, and sent the money collected through them to the United Arab Emirates via different bank accounts.

Chandrakar had been absconding in Dubai since 2023, and Interpol had issued a Red Corner Notice against him. The Royal Oman Police arrested him on July 8. He was brought to India on November 1, 116 days later.