Mahadev betting app kingpin traced to Oman, extradition efforts ongoing: ED counsel
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📌 Summary:
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Saurabh Chandrakar, kingpin of the alleged ₹6,000-crore Mahadev Online Book betting app scam, has been traced to Oman; investigating agencies have written to the authorities concerned for his extradition, ED counsel Saurabh Kumar Pande confirmed
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Chandrakar, who hails from Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), launched the betting platform in 2018 along with his aide Ravi Uppal; both are absconding
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Indian authorities had earlier attempted his extradition in 2024, when he was said to be in Dubai
🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Internal Security — money laundering through illegal online betting platforms, role of the Enforcement Directorate, and the challenge of extraditing economic offenders who shift across jurisdictions.
📝 Prelims Facts:
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Mahadev Online Book betting app scam is pegged at ₹6,000 crore
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The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) investigates money laundering under PMLA and forex violations under FEMA
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The platform was launched in 2018; the kingpin has moved between Dubai (2024) and Oman (2026)
🔑 Key Term: Extradition — the formal surrender by one state to another of a person accused or convicted of a crime, governed by bilateral treaties and requests routed through diplomatic channels.
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