ED Seeks Oman Nod To Question Mahadev Betting Accused Saurabh Chandrakar Over Money-Laundering Probe

Mumbai, September 7, 2026: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has requested permission from Omani authorities for custodial interrogation of Saurabh Chandrakar, the alleged mastermind of the multi-crore Mahadev Online Book betting network.

According to officials, the agency recently sent a request through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), seeking assistance from the Omani authorities to question Chandrakar in connection with the money-laundering investigation into the betting syndicate. The request is currently pending with the Omani authorities, and the ED is yet to receive a response, the officials said.

ED Seeks Details Of Betting Network

The agency wants to question Chandrakar about the functioning of the alleged betting network, including the role of senior officials and prominent politicians who were allegedly paid bribes in exchange for protection, as well as the intermediaries involved and the movement of betting proceeds. The interrogation is also expected to focus on the channels used to collect, layer and transfer the funds. According to sources, Chandrakar has expressed willingness to cooperate with Indian investigative agencies and disclose details of the “entire network”, including alleged political beneficiaries, intermediaries, financial transactions and overseas assets, in exchange for an assured witness-protection arrangement.

Recently, at the request of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities, INTERPOL issued a second Red Corner Notice (RCN) against Chandrakar. However, the notice accessed by The Free Press Journal contains details that differ sharply from those recorded in Indian documents — a discrepancy that could complicate the ongoing diplomatic and legal efforts to secure his extradition to India. The UAE-linked notice identifies Chandrakar's place of birth and nationality as Vanuatu Islands, with his date of birth mentioned as January 13, 1995. Indian records, however, indicate that Chandrakar was born in Chhattisgarh's Bhilai and lived at 1-D, Street 34, Sector-8, and is the son of Rameshwar Prasad Chandrakar, who served as a tax officer in the Municipal Corporation of Bhilai. His early life and business activities were rooted in the Durg district before he allegedly established his betting operations in Dubai in 2019.

Discrepancies In Personal Details

Another apparent discrepancy relates to his marital status. Records associated with the UAE proceedings reportedly describe Chandrakar’s marital status as single, while his wedding and related celebrations held in UAE's Ras Al Khaimah in February 2023, estimated by investigators to have involved expenditure of around Rs 200 crore in cash, became a central focal point of the money-laundering investigation against the Mahadev betting app syndicate. Officials familiar with the investigation said Chandrakar’s family continues to maintain a presence in Dubai.

Officials said the conflicting personal details over Chandrakar's nationality, place of birth and marital status could affect the process of establishing his identity before the Omani judicial committee during extradition hearings. Authorities may have to establish Chandrakar’s identity and nationality as part of the process of determining his eligibility for transfer to India.

UAE Proceedings And Money Laundering

The UAE proceedings against Chandrakar relate to allegations of money laundering. The UAE authorities’ document lists the charge as money laundering and cites Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2018 on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism and Financing of Illegal Organisations, along with subsequent amendments and executive regulations. The document cites provisions including Articles 1, 2, 13, 22, 26 and 29 and states that the maximum possible penalty is 15 years. It also records that the offence has no statute of limitations and does not expire.

According to the case summary in the UAE proceedings, the Anti-Money Laundering Department received information on May 29, 2024, regarding an alleged operation to launder proceeds of predicate offences committed outside the UAE. The document alleges that a group of individuals of Indian origin transferred and laundered proceeds through the UAE financial system and invested the money in purchasing luxury residential and commercial properties in Dubai and were registered in the names of third parties in return for commissions, allegedly to conceal the origin of the funds.

The UAE authorities’ case summary identifies Chandrakar, Ravi and Uppal Jagdish as the first and second defendants and describes both as Vanuatu citizens. It alleges that the two established the “Mahadev Online Book Platform” in India and used it to defraud gamblers, with the alleged fraud exceeding $50 million.

Alleged Hawala Transfers

The RCN further alleges that after the alleged predicate offences were committed in India, Chandrakar and his associates moved to the UAE and used its financial system to transfer and disguise the proceeds. According to the case summary, the syndicate allegedly used informal money-transfer systems, including hawala, to move proceeds into the UAE and conceal their source. It further alleges that a third accused, identified as Vikash, transferred approximately 400 million UAE dirhams between 2020 and 2021.

The funds were allegedly used to purchase properties in Dubai and establish front companies, according to the UAE document. Investigators reportedly found that several of these companies had no substantive commercial activity, employees or business premises and were allegedly used as fronts for registering properties and maintaining bank accounts funded with proceeds of crime.

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The document further alleges that properties and other assets were registered in the names of Chandrakar, Ravi, Uppal Jagdish, Tirta, Anil Kumar and other members of the alleged syndicate to conceal the proceeds. The UAE case summary further states that the alleged syndicate continued to purchase properties and expand investments in Dubai, which authorities have described as evidence of an organised network using sophisticated methods to launder money and evade detection.

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