Mahadev Betting App Kingpin Sourabh Chandrakar Held in Oman, India Starts Extradition

Absconding Mahadev betting app promoter Sourabh Chandrakar has been detained in Oman , with Indian authorities initiating efforts to secure his return through extradition or deportation in a significant breakthrough in the multi-crore money laundering investigation.

Officials said Chandrakar, a Chhattisgarh native in his 30s, was taken into custody by the Royal Oman Police a few weeks ago based on an Interpol Red Notice issued at the request of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Chhattisgarh Police. According to officials, India has now sent a formal extradition request through diplomatic channels, with the CBI coordinating the legal process.

Investigators suspect Chandrakar entered Oman using a forged Indonesian passport , though earlier official inputs only described it as a passport from a Southeast Asian country. Reports indicate he is being held in Muscat while Omani authorities examine the passport-related case and India's extradition request. He has reportedly engaged local lawyers, meaning the extradition process could be delayed if Oman first prosecutes the passport offence.

The ED alleges the Mahadev betting app syndicate generated ₹6,000 crore in proceeds of crime and involved several senior politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh. Investigators also claim the network operated nearly 3,200 betting panels , generated around ₹240 crore daily , and employed about 3,500 people from multiple rented villas in Dubai.

Authorities earlier tracked Chandrakar to Dubai, where he was detained in 2024 before being released, while co-founder Ravi Uppal allegedly fled to Vanuatu. In March, the ED attached ₹1,700 crore worth of assets, largely in Dubai, including properties in the Burj Khalifa .

According to the ED, the syndicate operated through platforms such as Tiger Exchange, Gold365 and Laser247 , using a franchise-style network across India while Chandrakar and Uppal allegedly controlled operations from Dubai. The agency has arrested 13 persons , named 74 entities in five charge sheets , and sought to declare Chandrakar, Uppal and other accused as Fugitive Economic Offenders . Chandrakar and Uppal have consistently denied involvement in the alleged betting racket.