New Delhi [India], November 2 (ANI): Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Monday granted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) a two-day transit remand of Mahadev App promoter Sourabh Chandrakar, who is wanted in an alleged illegal betting syndicate case.
The accused was produced before Principal District and Sessions Judge Nikhil Chopra following his high-profile extradition from Oman.
The CBI informed the court that Chandrakar is an accused in a case pending in Raipur and has been chargesheeted.
Chandrakar, who was detained in Oman in July by the Royal Oman Police following an Interpol Red Notice and discrepancies in his travel documents, was handed over to a visiting CBI team and brought back to India.
The probe agency sought transit custody to safely transport him and produce him before the designated Special CBI Court in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, where criminal proceedings and chargesheets are pending.
Senior Public Prosecutor V.K. Pathak, appearing for the CBI, submitted that, in view of the sensitivity of the case, the agency should be allowed to transport Chandrakar in handcuffs.
Advocate Tushar Giri, counsel for Chandrakar, opposed the transit remand, calling it legally deficient.
He argued that Chandrakar had been extradited from the Sultanate of Oman in connection with a money laundering case and could therefore be arrested only for the offenses covered by the extradition request.
The counsel also submitted that Chandrakar had not been extradited in connection with the CBI case and therefore could not be arrested or tried in that matter.
“As he cannot be tried by the CBI, then how can he be arrested?” the counsel said.
He further submitted that an undertaking had been given before the Oman court that Chandrakar would be tried only for the money laundering offense before the PMLA court in Raipur, in accordance with the extradition judgment.
The counsel maintained that the arrest was illegal.
The CBI counsel countered that the defense was referring to an earlier order. He said the order received by the agency did not specify that Chandrakar would be extradited only in connection with the money laundering case.
The court asked the CBI to clarify the legal position on the issues raised by the defense.
Chandrakar is wanted in two CBI cases, in which chargesheets have already been filed, and one Enforcement Directorate (ED) case, in which a prosecution complaint has been submitted.
The transit proceedings in New Delhi witnessed extensive legal arguments after Chandrakar’s defense counsel introduced copies of a ruling issued by the Supreme Judicial Council of Oman (Muscat Court of Appeal).
The CBI said that, as the nodal agency, it had been called upon to take custody of Chandrakar. It further submitted that the Oman court had not imposed any condition specifying the case in which he could be tried, adding that the extradition judgment contained no such restriction.
Advocate Tushar Giri opposed the CBI’s submissions, arguing that the agency did not possess an authenticated copy of the judgment. He also pointed out that the final judgment made no mention of the CBI case.
Giri additionally opposed the CBI’s request to keep the accused in handcuffs.
The development comes after the Muscat Court of Appeal in Oman ruled in favor of extraditing Mahadev online betting app promoter Sourabh Chandrakar to India to face trial for money laundering and illegal betting, while rejecting a competing extradition request from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
However, the court ordered that Chandrakar’s handover to Indian authorities be formally postponed until the conclusion of ongoing local criminal proceedings against him in Oman over allegations that he traveled using a forged document.
In its decision issued by the Criminal Circuit (Grievances) on October 8, 2026, a three-judge panel presided over by Judge Saeed bin Salim bin Hamad Al-Harthi addressed simultaneous extradition requests submitted by India and the UAE.
During the proceedings, Chandrakar’s legal counsel argued against his extradition, claiming that he had renounced his Indian citizenship in 2020 at the Indian Embassy in Dubai and subsequently acquired Vanuatu nationality.
The court dismissed this argument after the Public Prosecution obtained an official diplomatic clarification from the Indian Embassy in Muscat confirming that Chandrakar remained an Indian citizen wanted for extradition.
Evaluating the competing claims under Article 6 of Omani law, the court noted that India had priority in its application, that Chandrakar was an Indian national and that the alleged offenses had taken place within Indian jurisdiction.
Furthermore, the court found that the UAE’s extradition request failed to include mandatory legal undertakings required under Omani law, including assurances regarding fair trial guarantees and restrictions on secondary transfers.
Consequently, the court officially rejected the UAE’s request “for failure to meet the legal conditions for extradition.”
The court determined that India’s request met all requirements under the 2004 bilateral Extradition Treaty and Oman’s Extradition of Criminals Law. The request was supported by chargesheets, non-bailable open-ended warrants issued by the Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Raipur, and the necessary formal state undertakings.
Despite approving extradition to India, the court noted that Chandrakar was facing active local prosecution in Oman for allegedly attempting to leave Muscat International Airport using a forged travel document. Under Article 5 of Oman’s Extradition Law, his physical transfer had to be deferred.
“The Court therefore rules that the accused… be extradited to the Republic of India… with his extradition postponed until the conclusion of his trial in Case No. 14691/5100/2026 before the Seeb Primary Court, the issuance of a final judgment therein, and the execution of the penalty imposed on him in that case,” the bench ruled.
The extradition marks a significant milestone in India’s sustained efforts to bring back fugitives accused of operating transnational criminal enterprises targeting Indian citizens from abroad and subject them to due process under Indian law.
The CBI took over the investigation into the Mahadev Online Book cases at the request of the Chhattisgarh government.
The investigation revealed that Mahadev Online Book was one of the country’s largest illegal online betting syndicates, operating from outside India. It offered illegal betting on cricket, football, card games and other events through a network of franchised “panels” and “branches” spread across India, which enrolled users and collected their stakes.
The proceeds from the illegal betting were routed through numerous mule bank accounts, layered through multiple transactions and transferred abroad through hawala channels. The investigation further revealed that part of the proceeds was allegedly used to pay protection money to public servants to allow the syndicate to operate without interference.
The CBI has filed chargesheets under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and provisions of the Indian Penal Code relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery, as well as the Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act.
Sourabh Chandrakar is among the key accused named in these chargesheets. The ED has attached several properties in India and abroad. (ANI)
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