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Saurabh Chandrakar, promoter of the Mahadev App illegal betting syndicate and an accused in the betting app case, was produced before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Special Court in Raipur on Friday.
The development comes a day after the CBI court sent Chandrakar to judicial custody till November 19. After its application was rejected by the CBI court, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had moved the PMLA Special Court seeking his custody for questioning. The ED may take Chandrakar into custody for further interrogation. Chandrakar was arrested in Oman and brought back to India following extradition proceedings. He was detained by the Royal Oman Police after an Interpol Red Corner Notice was issued against him. A CBI team specially deputed to Oman escorted him back to India. According to the CBI, Chandrakar is wanted in two cases in which chargesheets have already been filed. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also filed a prosecution complaint against him in a separate case. The CBI investigation into the Mahadev Online Book cases was initiated at the request of the Chhattisgarh government. The agency has described the platform as one of the largest illegal online betting syndicates in the country, operating from outside India. The syndicate allegedly facilitated betting on cricket, football, card games and other events through a network of franchised panels and branches across India, which enrolled users and collected stakes. According to the CBI investigation, proceeds from the alleged illegal betting were routed through numerous mule bank accounts, layered through multiple transactions and transferred abroad through hawala channels. A portion of the proceeds was allegedly used to pay protection money to public servants to ensure the syndicate could operate without hindrance. The CBI has filed chargesheets under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, provisions of the Indian Penal Code relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery, and the Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act. The ED has also attached several properties in India and abroad in connection with the case. (ANI)
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