Mahadev betting promoter Sourabh Chandrakar extradited from Oman to India

Sourabh Chandrakar, described by the Central Bureau of Investigation as one of the main promoters of the Mahadev Online Book illegal betting syndicate, was extradited from Oman to India on Sunday, November 1, 2026¹. A special CBI team traveled to Muscat, took custody of him and escorted him back to India¹. He is expected to be produced before the CBI Special Court in Raipur on Monday, November 2¹.

Chandrakar is wanted in two CBI cases in which chargesheets have already been filed, as well as a separate Enforcement Directorate money laundering case in which a prosecution complaint has been submitted¹. The CBI coordinated with other central agencies, Interpol and Omani authorities to secure his return¹. According to Hindustan Times, he was located in Muscat and detained by Royal Omani police in late June on the basis of an Interpol red notice⁴. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates had briefly detained him in October 2024 and placed him under house arrest, and an Indian extradition request sent the same month was not executed⁴.

The CBI said the extradition was carried out in coordination with other central agencies and the authorities in Oman².

The agencies describe Mahadev Online Book as one of India's largest illegal online betting syndicates, allegedly operated from outside India through a franchise-based system of panels and branches across the country¹. The platform reportedly facilitated betting on cricket, football, card games and other events³. The ED identified Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal as the principal promoters, and said the promoters retained around 70 to 75 percent of the profits generated by betting panels while the rest went to panel operators¹. Proceeds were allegedly routed through thousands of mule bank accounts, hawala channels and cryptocurrency transactions before being invested in assets in India and the UAE¹.

The financial figures reported in the case differ by agency and stage:

The CBI disclosed in September that it had filed eight chargesheets against 100 accused in the Mahadev betting investigation and issued seven Red Corner Notices, and had submitted two extradition proposals¹. Hindustan Times reported that the CBI has filed two chargesheets in the probe⁴. The chargesheets were filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, provisions relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery, and the Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act³. Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel has been named by the CBI in the case and has repeatedly denied all the charges against him⁴.

What it means for players

Mahadev Online Book and the domain names linked to it in reporting, including Tiger Exchange, Gold365 and Laser247, are the subject of an active Indian criminal investigation⁴. The ED said in September that the main platform was still operational and running a "huge" number of panels⁴. Anyone in India using a panel or branch of this kind is dealing with an operation that Indian agencies treat as illegal betting, and the money flows described in the case run through mule bank accounts and hawala channels rather than regulated payment routes¹. India's gambling rules vary by state, and the Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act is among the laws cited in the chargesheets³. Details of how individual panel users are treated in the investigation have not been reported.

What happens next

Chandrakar is expected to be produced before the CBI Special Court in Raipur on Monday, November 2, after a mandatory medical examination and the securing of transit remand¹. The CBI and ED investigations are continuing, and the allegations against Chandrakar will be subject to judicial proceedings¹. Proceedings against two other accused named in extradition proposals were underway as of September, without the CBI identifying them¹. Ravi Uppal had gone missing from the UAE after authorities there decided to close extradition proceedings against him, as reported on November 4, 2025⁴.

For background on the legal position and common fraud patterns, see Gambling in India, Betting Scams in India and Gambling Scams in Asia.