Mahadev betting scam: Kingpin Sourabh Chandrakar arrested in Dubai; likely to be deported to India soon

Mahadev online betting app promoter Sourabh Chandrakar was arrested in Dubai following an Interpol Red Corner Notice requested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), official sources said on Friday.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities officially communicated to their counterparts in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) about his arrest on October 9.

Sourabh Chandrakar, the alleged kingpin behind the betting scam, is likely to be extradited to India soon. According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the documentation process for his extradition will be finalised in the next few days, with papers to be submitted to the UAE authorities to facilitate Chandrakar's return to India. 

The betting app promoter was apprehended almost 10 months after being put under “house detention” in Dubai for his alleged involvement in connection with purported illegal activities of the ‘Mahadev Book Online’ app. The UAE government had alerted Indian probe agencies at the time.

Indian federal probe agencies are engaging through diplomatic channels to ensure the extradition of Sourabh Chandrakar, who is crucial to the money laundering case. The ED is investigating the money laundering case, which sources say involves political figures in Chhattisgarh and other regions, reported ANI.

The ED had earlier named Sourabh Chandrakar, Ravi Uppal and several others in its initial chargesheet submitted to a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Raipur. The chargesheet mentioned that Dilip Chandrakar, the uncle of Sourabh Chandrakar, and his brother ran a juice shop called ‘Juice Factory’ in Chhattisgarh's Bhilai.

Estimating the projected proceeds of crime in this case to be around ₹6,000 crore, the ED alleged that Sourabh Chandrakar spent around ₹200 crore in cash during his wedding event in February last year in UAE's Ras Al Khaimah. This included hiring private jets to transport relatives from India and payments to celebrities for performances at the event.

(With ANI inputs)