Mahadev Betting App Founder Detained in Oman, India Seeks Extradition
NEW DELHI: The founder and prime accused in the Mahadev betting app syndicate, Saurabh Chandrakar, has been detained in Oman, and Indian authorities are pursuing his extradition or deportation, officials said Wednesday.
Chandrakar, a Chhattisgarh resident in his 30s, was taken into custody by the Royal Oman Police a few weeks ago based on an Interpol Red Notice issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and state police. The ED has previously stated that the Mahadev case involves several high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh, with alleged proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 6,000 crore.
Investigators tracking both Chandrakar and co-founder Ravi Uppal said informal inputs suggest Chandrakar was travelling on a passport from a Southeast Asian country. Indian agencies had last reported that Chandrakar was in Dubai, where UAE authorities detained him in 2024 but later released him. They claimed Uppal fled from Dubai to Vanuatu, an archipelagic country in the South Pacific Ocean.
India and Oman share good bilateral relations, and officials expressed confidence that they would succeed in extraditing or deporting Chandrakar. Authorities highlighted the recent implementation of a free trade agreement between the two countries on June 1 to boost economic ties. Two-way trade between India and Oman stood at $11.2 billion in 2025-26.
Chandrakar reportedly left for Dubai in 2019. Before that, he used to run a juice shop named 'Juice Factory' with his brother in Bhilai town of Durg district, Chhattisgarh. Chandrakar and Uppal have vehemently denied any association with the alleged racket.
In March, the ED said it had attached assets worth Rs 1,700 crore, mostly located in Dubai—including in the Burj Khalifa—belonging to Chandrakar and his linked entities. According to the agency, the Mahadev app operated as a large-scale international betting syndicate facilitating illegal betting through multiple online platforms and domain names such as 'Tiger Exchange', 'Gold365', and 'Laser247'. The operation was structured through a franchise-based network of 'panels' and 'branches' operated by associates across India.
