ED arrests Saurabh Chandrakar in Mahadev app case

The Enforcement Directorate arrested Saurabh Chandrakar in Raipur on Friday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and secured his custody through November 19 in the Mahadev online betting app investigation.

A special court for cases under the law authorized the arrest and remanded Chandrakar to ED custody, officials said. The move followed his transfer from Central Bureau of Investigation custody, which ended after the agency did not seek a further remand. Chandrakar had been in CBI custody after being brought to India from Oman following extradition proceedings.

The ED is investigating alleged money laundering linked to the Mahadev app, also known as Mahadev Online Book. The agency alleges Chandrakar was a principal promoter and beneficiary of the operation. Those allegations have not been established as findings in the reported court proceedings.

The ED has said the app generated about Rs 80,000 crore in alleged proceeds of crime since 2019. Separately, the CBI has described the platform as an illegal betting syndicate operating from outside India through a network of branches and panels. It alleges that users could place bets on cricket, football, card games and other...