Raipur, November 13, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has remanded Saurabh Chandrakar, co-owner and promoter of the Mahadev Online Book betting syndicate, to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) until November 19 for questioning.
The ED arrested Chandrakar on Friday under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, with the permission of the Special Court.
According to the ED, Chandrakar will be questioned about statements made by his associates, digital data, documents linked to his foreign entities and evidence relating to alleged money laundering.
The agency said Chandrakar and co-promoter Ravi Uppal operated Mahadev Online Book through a network of online betting websites headquartered in Dubai, with a franchise-based network of betting panels across India and the UAE. It alleged that players’ money was routed through bank accounts held in other people’s names before being transferred abroad through hawala channels. The ED’s complaint filed on October 20, 2023, estimated the syndicate’s earnings at around Rs 450 crore per month.
The ED said Chandrakar had failed to respond to summons issued in September 2023 and continued to evade investigation. On the agency’s application, the Special Court issued a non-bailable warrant against him on September 4, 2023, followed by an Interpol Red Notice. His challenge to the warrant was dismissed by the Chhattisgarh High Court on March 22, 2025.
According to the agency, Chandrakar obtained a passport of Vanuatu while holding an Indian passport and claimed before the Special Court that he had surrendered his Indian citizenship on June 28, 2022. The ED subsequently pursued his extradition from Oman under the India-Oman Extradition Treaty.
The Court of Appeal in Muscat ordered his extradition on October 8, 2026, rejecting his citizenship-related plea after the Indian Embassy confirmed his Indian nationality. The court also recorded that he had been apprehended while attempting to depart through Muscat International Airport using an allegedly forged travel document. A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team brought him back from Muscat on November 1, 2026.
The ED said it has conducted searches at around 190 premises in the case, seized or frozen assets worth approximately Rs 2,000 crore and attached properties valued at around Rs 3,500 crore, including assets worth Rs 1,800 crore abroad and 22 immovable properties in Dubai. The agency has filed six prosecution complaints against 116 accused. Chandrakar is the 15th person arrested by the ED in the case.
The agency also said it arrested Vikas Garg in July 2026, alleging that companies linked to him received around Rs 940 crore in betting proceeds, of which approximately Rs 766 crore was used to acquire US-based company Ebix Inc. The ED has attached assets worth around Rs 941 crore in that part of the investigation.
The ED further alleged that Chandrakar’s wedding in Ras Al Khaimah in February 2023 involved cash expenditure of around Rs 200 crore and three chartered aircraft from Nagpur. The agency said it traced the money through event companies, hotels and angadia firms, while the recovered guest list helped identify members of the syndicate’s management.
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