Mahadev betting app kingpin sent to judicial custody till November 19

Sourabh Chandrakar, the alleged kingpin in the Mahadev online betting app case, flanked by CBI officials after being extradited to India from Oman. | Photo Credit: PTI

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Raipur on Thursday (November 12, 2026) remanded Sourabh Chandrakar, the alleged kingpin of Mahadev betting app case, to seven days’ judicial custody, his lawyer Tushar Giri told journalists.

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After his extradition from Oman, the CBI had arrested Chandrakar and was granted his custody by the same court last week. The central agency had informed the court that it wanted to quiz Chandrakar to identify the public servants to whom he allegedly paid protection money to run the betting racket. After the expiry of his custodial remand, the CBI produced him in court.

Mr. Giri informed that while CBI did not ask for any further extension of his client’s custody, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) that is probing the money laundering angle also filed an application seeking execution of a non-bailable warrant against Chandrakar, which was dismissed by the court.

To seek PMLA court

ED counsel Saurabh Kumar Pandey said the agency would now approach the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court to seek Chandrakar’s custody.

In 2024, cases related to the alleged Mahadev app scam were handed over to the CBI, while the ED has been probing the money laundering linked to the cases. Investigation purportedly revealed that Mahadev app was one of the largest illegal online betting syndicates in the country, run from outside India.

It offered illegal betting on cricket, football, card games and other events through a network of franchised “panels” and “branches” spread across India, which enrolled users and collected stakes from them.

Published - November 12, 2026 10:05 pm IST