Who is Saurabh Chandrakar? From working at a juice shop to becoming the alleged mastermind of Mahadev betting app

Saurabh Chandrakar, the principal promoter of the Mahadev betting app, has been extradited from Oman to India, marking a major development in the investigation into one of the country's biggest alleged illegal online betting syndicates. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has named Chandrakar as the prime accused in its money laundering investigation into the Mahadev Online Book (MOB), alleging that he was the principal promoter, collector and beneficiary of the betting operation.

The agency is now seeking to have him declared a Fugitive Economic Offender (FEO) and confiscate his assets. It has also approached the Union government for the cancellation of his Vanuatu passport, which he allegedly obtained while retaining his Indian citizenship. Chandrakar was brought back to India on Sunday (November 1) following his extradition from Oman.

On Monday (November 2), the Delhi-based Rouse Avenue Court granted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) a two-day transit remand to take him to Raipur, where criminal proceedings against him are pending. But who is Saurabh Chandrakar, and how did he allegedly go from working at a juice shop in Chhattisgarh to running an international betting operation? Who is Saurabh Chandrakar?

Saurabh Chandrakar is a native of Bhilai town in Chhattisgarh's Durg district. According to officials, he previously worked at a juice shop operated by his family's company in Bhilai until December 2020. However, within the next two years, Chandrakar allegedly transformed his business activities and began operating an online betting enterprise from Dubai, with thousands of employees working for the network.

The ED has alleged that Chandrakar was one of the key figures behind the Mahadev betting app, which facilitated illegal betting on cricket, football, tennis, card games and other games of chance. The agency has described him as the operation's "principal promoter, collector and beneficiary" and named him as accused number one in its chargesheet filed in October 2023. What is the Mahadev betting app case?

The Mahadev betting app, also known as Mahadev Online Book (MOB), began operations in 2019-20. According to the ED, its user base expanded sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and continued to grow thereafter. The platform allegedly operated through thousands of franchised panels and branches spread across India.

These networks enrolled users, collected betting stakes and facilitated wagers on various sporting events and games. The ED has alleged that the syndicate generated proceeds of crime worth approximately ₹80,000 crore since its inception. According to the agency, the betting websites were manipulated to ensure that the operators made substantial profits.

It alleged that users who won large sums had their accounts blocked, preventing them from withdrawing their winnings. The CBI's investigation has also pointed to an extensive financial network involving mule bank accounts, multiple layers of transactions and hawala channels to move the proceeds of illegal betting abroad. Investigators have further alleged that some of the proceeds were used to pay protection money to public servants to allow the syndicate to operate without interference.

How did Saurabh Chandrakar leave India and get a Vanuatu passport? According to ED officials, Chandrakar left India for Dubai on February 16, 2022. He allegedly obtained a Vanuatu passport in May 2022, shortly after leaving the country.

The agency has written to the Union government, understood to be the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), seeking cancellation of his Vanuatu passport. The ED's position is that Chandrakar is an Indian citizen by birth and obtained the foreign passport while continuing to hold an Indian passport. India does not recognise dual citizenship.

Chandrakar was detained in Oman in July by the Royal Oman Police following an Interpol Red Corner Notice against him and discrepancies relating to his travel documents. He was subsequently handed over to a visiting CBI team and extradited to India on Sunday. What is the ED's case against Saurabh Chandrakar?

The ED registered its money laundering case in October 2022 based on FIRs and chargesheets filed by the Chhattisgarh Police and the CBI.The agency has arrested 14 people, attached assets worth ₹1,885 crore, named 116 accused across six chargesheets and conducted searches at 190 premises across the country. It has also attached properties with an estimated market value of ₹1,700 crore in connection with the case against Chandrakar. Investigators have reportedly traced several other assets in India and abroad, including alleged benami properties, which the agency wants to confiscate under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA).

The CBI, meanwhile, has filed chargesheets under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, provisions of the Indian Penal Code relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery, and the Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act. The agency took up the investigation into the Mahadev Online Book case at the request of the Chhattisgarh government. Why does the ED want Chandrakar declared a fugitive economic offender?

The ED filed an application before a special PMLA court in Raipur in November 2024 seeking to have Chandrakar and Mahadev app co-promoter Ravi Uppal declared fugitive economic offenders. However, after multiple adjournments, the agency filed a fresh application in October seeking an urgent hearing and expeditious disposal of the proceedings. The court has listed the matter for December 5.

The ED maintains that Chandrakar's extradition does not invalidate its application under the FEOA because he did not voluntarily surrender to Indian authorities but was brought back through the efforts of investigating agencies. Introduced in 2018, the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act allows authorities to confiscate the properties of individuals who leave India to evade prosecution for economic offences involving at least ₹100 crore. If Chandrakar is declared a fugitive economic offender, the ED will be empowered to confiscate his properties, including assets linked to the alleged proceeds of crime.