THE suspected proceeds of crime generated by Mahadev Online Book and associated betting platforms have been estimated at Rs 88,000 crore to Rs 94,000 crore. The disclosure coincided with accused Sourabh Chandrakar’s arrival in Raipur under Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) escort on Tuesday evening. The confidential investigative figures were accessed by The Hitavada, indicating the network’s suspected financial scale, whose assessment attributes Rs 75,000 crore to Rs 80,000 crore to Mahadev Online Book, Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 12,000 crore to Skyexchange and approximately Rs 2,400 crore to Lotus365. An estimated Rs 4,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore was allegedly remitted to promoters in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The same confidential material records six prosecution complaints, one principal and five supplementary, against 116 accused, besides 14 arrests. The figures are investigative estimates, not recovered amounts as their assessment period is unspecified.

 

Chandrakar arrived from Delhi ahead of his scheduled production before the Special CBI Judge on Wednesday, November 4, following his November 1 extradition from Oman and a two-day transit-remand order issued in Delhi. His departure from Raipur airport, meanwhile, sparked controversy. Local media reports alleged that lights were partially dimmed to shield Chandrakar from television cameras and that the CBI escort took him out through the departure gate rather than the usual arrivals exit. The allegations have not been independently established by Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials manning Swami Vivekananda Airport (SVA) here. Notably, the CBI case, registered in December 2024 after transfer of a Chhattisgarh State Economic Offences Bureau investigation, alleges that Chandrakar and co-accused Ravi Uppal promoted online betting through panel operators and routed proceeds through bank accounts to the UAE.

 

Chandrakar has been chargesheeted, according to the Delhi court order. Principal District and Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge Nikhil Chopra granted transit remand on November 2, directing production in Raipur by November 4. His order notes an outstanding nonbailable warrant issued by the Raipur Special CBI Judge on September 9, 2026. A disputed extradition question also awaits judicial scrutiny. Defence counsel argued that Oman authorised surrender for Enforcement Directorate moneylaundering proceedings, not CBI prosecution, invoking Section 21 of the Extradition Act and the doctrine of speciality. CBI prosecutors disputed that interpretation. Judge Chopra left the question, including statutory exceptions, to the Raipur court. Meanwhile, a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer at Chhattisgarh Police Headquarters (IPS), on condition of anonymity, said, “Chandrakar’s return places him before the Indian judicial process, but the objection concerning the scope of extradition remains to be examined. The Raipur court will now consider the relevant documents and the defence submissions before determining how the CBI proceedings can move forward.”