'Mastermind' of ₹6,000 crore Mahadev online gambling syndicate detained in Oman, India sends extradition request: Report

THE mastermind of the ₹6,000 crore Mahadev online gambling syndicate was detained in Oman, sources told the Hindustan Times on Wednesday, adding that India has sent an extradition request.

Sourabh Chandrakar, a fugitive and alleged co-founder of the Mahadev Online Book platform and related websites, was taken into custody by Royal Oman police based on an Interpol notice issued by Indian agencies, the report added.

It noted that agencies are trying to ascertain the details of his capture through formal channels

Chandrakar's last location was in the UAE.

Initial information suggests that Chandrakar was travelling to Oman on a fake passport obtained from a Southeast Asian country, HT reported.

India and Oman have an extradition treaty. Officials in New Delhi were reportedly hopeful that Chandrakar, wanted since 2019, may finally be repatriated to India.

Earlier, his extradition requests to the UAE could not fructify, even though he was once detained in Dubai in 2024 but was subsequently released.

According to the report, based on an Interpol red notice, the UAE authorities had briefly detained Sourabh Chandrakar in October 2024 and kept him under house arrest.

The same month, India sent an extradition request for him, which was not executed, “thereby making it infructuous”.

HT reported on November 4, 2025, that Ravi Uppal had gone missing from the UAE after authorities in the Gulf country decided to close extradition proceedings against him.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Chhattisgarh police are also investigating the Mahadev founders, along with several public servants in Raipur.

What's the case?

It's alleged that Chandrakar, in his early 30s, set up the Mahadev betting empire along with co-founder Ravi Uppal. The duo had fled to Dubai sometime in 2019, and their network still allegedly runs betting apps and websites from there.

According to a complaint filed by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) earlier, the accused allegedly created betting IDs, collected money from bettors and facilitated betting on cricket and other sporting events.

The complaint further alleged that during the investigation, some accused claimed they had been trained by persons identified as Sourabh Chandrakar and another individual to operate the betting platform, news agency ANI reported on July 6.

It also alleges that bank accounts used in the betting operations were obtained by cheating and impersonating unsuspecting persons.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) had filed a complaint before the Adjudicating Authority under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), seeking confirmation of the provisional attachment of assets worth ₹940.77 crore in connection with the alleged Mahadev Online Book money laundering case.

The complaint was filed under Section 5(5) of the PMLA following the Provisional Attachment Order dated June 5, 2026.

The ED has claimed in one of its charge sheets in the case that the “betting empire” was operating at least 3,200 (betting) panels in different cities, generating around ₹240 crore per day.