Betting app kingpin Mahadev has been sent to judicial custody till November 19

Sourabh Chandrakar, the alleged ringleader in the Mahadev online betting app case, flanked by CBI officials after he was extradited from Oman to India. | Photo credit: PTI

A special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Raipur on Thursday (Nov 12, 2026) sent Sourabh Chandrakar, the alleged mastermind of the Mahadev betting app case, to seven-day judicial custody, his lawyer Tushar Giri told reporters.

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After his extradition from Oman, the CBI arrested Chandrakar and the same court granted his custody last week. The central agency informed the court that it wanted to quiz Chandrakar to identify the government employees he allegedly paid protection money to run the betting racket. After his remand expired, the CBI produced him in court.

Mr. Giri informed that while the CBI has not sought any further extension of his client’s remand, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the money laundering angle, has also filed an application to execute a non-bailable warrant against Chandrakar, which was rejected by the court.

Seek PMLA court

ED lawyer Saurabh Kumar Pandey said the agency will now approach a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) seeking Chandrakar’s custody.

In 2024, the cases related to the alleged Mahadev app scam were handed over to the CBI while the ED investigated money laundering related to the cases. The investigation reportedly revealed that the Mahadev app was one of the country’s largest illegal online betting syndicates operating outside India.

It offered illegal betting on cricket, football, card games and other events through a network of franchised “panels” and “branches” located across India that registered users and collected bets from them.

Published – 12 Nov 2026 22:05 IST