CBI brings back Mahadev betting app promoter from Oman after extradition
The CBI has secured the extradition from Oman of the promoter of the Mahadev Online Book betting syndicate, who is wanted in two CBI cases and an ED case, and will produce him before a Raipur court.
Key points
- The CBI says it secured the extradition of the promoter of the Mahadev Online Book betting syndicate from Oman and escorted him back to India.
- He is wanted in two CBI cases in which chargesheets have been filed and in an ED case in which a prosecution complaint has been filed, the CBI said.
- He will be produced before the CBI Special Judge in Raipur; the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Photo: Pulakit Singh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped). File photo.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on 1 November 2026 that, in coordination with other central agencies, it has secured the extradition from the Sultanate of Oman of the promoter of the Mahadev Online Book illegal betting syndicate. A CBI team escorted him back to India, and he is to be produced before the CBI Special Judge in Raipur. He is wanted in two CBI cases in which chargesheets have been filed and in an Enforcement Directorate (ED) case in which a prosecution complaint has been filed, the CBI said.
What Happened
The CBI took up the Mahadev Online Book cases at the request of the Government of Chhattisgarh. According to the CBI, its investigation found that the platform was one of the largest illegal online betting syndicates in the country, run from outside India. The CBI said it offered betting on cricket, football, card games and other events through a network of franchised "panels" and "branches" across India that enrolled users and collected their stakes.
The CBI has alleged that the betting proceeds were routed through a large number of mule bank accounts, layered through several transactions and moved abroad through hawala channels, and that part of the money was used to pay protection money to public servants so the syndicate could operate.
The chargesheets were filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, provisions of the Indian Penal Code on criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery, and the Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, and the promoter is among the key accused, the CBI said.
The CBI said he was located and detained by the Royal Oman Police on the basis of a Red Corner Notice, after which the CBI and the ED sent formal extradition requests to Oman with the evidence gathered.
What It Means
The accused will now face the CBI cases before the Special Court in Raipur. Anyone who has lost money to an online betting or gaming platform, or to a cyber scam, can report it at https://cybercrime.gov.in or on helpline 1930.
These are allegations, not findings of guilt; the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court, and due process continues.
Source: CBI press release
This report describes enforcement actions and allegations on the public record, attributed to the officials cited. An order, FIR or chargesheet is not a conviction; parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Sources & Citations
- CBI press release — Central Bureau of Investigation