The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is likely to seek Mahadev online betting fraud mastermind Sourabh Chandrakar’s further custody on Thursday from a Raipur court, where he will be produced upon completion of his eight-days’ remand, people familiar with the development told HT.
The CBI alleged that Chandrakar, other promoters and associates of Mahadev Book secured the protection of police and administrative officials and influential politicians by regularly paying them. The CBI has alleged that hawala operators were used to arrange and distribute the alleged protection money. Police officers and employees were also allegedly engaged to channel these payments to police and administrative officials.
CBI had said that it was crucial to identify police and administrative officials in Chhattisgarh who allegedly received huge amounts of money to allow the illegal operations to continue While seeking his custody last week.
“We have identified some of his associates in India who helped him run illegal betting panels but we need to get to the bottom of the entire conspiracy and identify the conniving public servants in Chhattisgarh. As exclusively reported by HT, Chandrakar was extradited from Oman on November 1 and taken into custody by the CBI. So, we may ask for his further remand at the Raipur court on Thursday,” said an officer, who asked not to be named.
This development means that the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is conducting a parallel money laundering investigation in the Mahadev fraud and has identified proceeds of crime worth ₹ 94,000 crore, may have to wait more before it could get Sourabh’s custody and interrogate him. Chandrakar left India in 2022 to evade the process of law and deliberately remained abroad without joining the investigation, according to the CBI.
