Mahadev app: CBI arrests key accused Abhishek Kumar after he arrives from Dubai

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested alleged kingpin Abhishek Kumar in connection with its probe into the ₹6,000 crore Mahadev online betting racket after he arrived from Dubai, the agency said on Thursday.

Kumar is a close aide of Mahadev promoter Saurabh Chandrakar and was on the run for a very long time. He allegedly played an active role in “operating online betting and gambling activities under Mahadev Book, coordinating betting panels, collecting funds and acquiring immovable assets in Dubai using proceeds allegedly generated from betting and gambling,” a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.

The agency said it arrested Kumar at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad and produced him before a court in Raipur. It, however, did not clarify whether Kumar came to India on his own or was deported from Dubai on India’s request.

Kumar, the CBI spokesperson said, worked closely with Saurabh Chandrakar and another key accused, Shubham Soni. Chandrakar, the co-mastermind of the Mahadev online betting racket, was caught in Oman in June this year and his extradition is being pursued there. His partner and co-mastermind, Ravi Uppal, had fled from the UAE to Vanuatu, according to information received by Indian agencies last year.

The CBI said on Thursday that it has so far filed eight chargesheets against 100 accused persons, including alleged main promoters of the Mahadev betting app, panel operators, hawala operators and public servants of the Chhattisgarh government.

“Efforts are being made to bring the main promoters - Chandrakar and Uppal - of the Mahadev Betting App back to India to face trial. So far, seven red notices and two extradition proposals have been sent and extradition proceedings against the two accused are underway,” the CBI said.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is conducting a parallel money laundering investigation in the case, earlier this month filed its sixth chargesheet against 42 individuals and companies.

It has stated in the chargesheet that Mahadev and its sister websites have generated proceeds of crime worth ₹94,400 crore over the last 10 years, with the main platform still operational and running a “huge” number of panels.

The Mahadev app provides online platforms for illegal betting in different live games like poker, card games, chance games, and betting on cricket, badminton, tennis and football. It also offers facilities for playing card games like Teen Patti, Dragon Tiger and Virtual Cricket games using cards, as well as apps that allow placing bets on different elections in India, the ED has said.