CBI searches 33 locations in Mahadev betting app case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has conducted searches at 33 locations across six states in connection with the Mahadev Online Book illegal betting app case, dismantling live betting and gambling panels and seizing digital devices, mobile phones and incriminating documents.

The searches were carried out following disclosures made by Sourabh Chandrakar, one of the principal promoters of the platform, after his extradition from Oman, the CBI said in a statement on Saturday.

The agency said the seized documents and devices revealed the use of mule bank accounts and hawala networks to facilitate the betting operations and transfer proceeds.

Chandrakar was extradited from Oman and arrested by the CBI on November 1. A special court in Raipur had granted the agency eight days of police custody for his interrogation.

During questioning, Chandrakar allegedly revealed details of the platform's operations and its network of panel operators in India. He was also confronted with documentary and digital evidence collected during the investigation.

The CBI said it had registered two FIRs in the Mahadev Online Book case after the investigations were transferred from the Chhattisgarh government.

The investigation so far has revealed that the platform is operated from abroad through a head office, while its activities in India are handled by a large network of panel operators.

These operators allegedly manage customer IDs, collect betting money through bank accounts opened or hired in the names of other individuals, and transfer profits abroad through hawala channels.

After his police custody ended, Chandrakar was produced before the special CBI court in Raipur on November 12 and remanded to judicial custody until November 19.

The agency said its investigation was continuing into the roles of other accused, including those based abroad, individuals who facilitated the operations and public servants concerned. Steps are also being taken to extradite other absconding accused.

The CBI has cautioned the public against online betting and gambling, stating that lending or renting bank accounts, SIM cards or identity documents to facilitate such activities is also a criminal offence and can expose account holders to prosecution.