CBI seeks Chandrakar’s custody to identify Chhattisgarh officials who received money

The CBI sought custody because it says Chandrakar may reveal how the alleged betting syndicate operated and who benefited from it. Investigators specifically want to identify police and administrative officials in Chhattisgarh who allegedly received protection money. They also want to find other masterminds, trace the proceeds, and locate assets bought with illegal earnings.

The court in Raipur granted eight days of custody. It also allowed the CBI to take Chandrakar to Delhi for questioning. The agency says custodial interrogation is needed because it can directly question him about the syndicate’s structure, payments, and associates. Chandrakar was extradited from Oman on November 1 and brought to Raipur for production before the court.

The questioning could shape the next stage of the investigation. The CBI may use Chandrakar’s answers to pursue public servants, political figures, hawala operators, and financial beneficiaries. The agency is investigating cases transferred to it by the Chhattisgarh government in August 2024.

The Mahadev online betting syndicate was an alleged illegal gambling operation promoted by Saurabh Chandrakar, Ravi Uppal, and their associates. The CBI says it operated through the Mahadev Book app and an extensive network of panel and branch operators. The promoters allegedly ran the network from Dubai, which they called their head office.

Panel operators appear to have handled betting activity through the wider network. According to the CBI, promoters retained 70-80% of the illegal earnings, while the remaining money went to panel operators. Several youths from Chhattisgarh were allegedly employed as managers, supervisors, and other staff. This structure connected the central promoters with local operating units.

The alleged system mattered because it could expand betting activity while distributing tasks and payments across many people. The CBI says proceeds were then transferred to Chandrakar and other promoters in the UAE through multiple bank accounts. Investigators are examining who controlled these operators and who ultimately benefited.

The alleged operation was enormous by the figures presented in the investigation. The Enforcement Directorate estimated the proceeds of crime at around ₹6,000 crore. That figure represents the alleged money generated through the wider betting scam and linked financial activity.

The CBI separately claimed that Chandrakar and other promoters generated around ₹450 crore every month. It said this level of online betting income began during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. The promoters allegedly kept 70-80% of the earnings, with the rest distributed among panel operators. These figures describe the alleged scale, not proven convictions.

The amounts explain why investigators are tracing bank accounts, hawala channels, overseas transfers, and assets. The ED has attached several properties in India and abroad linked to the syndicate. The CBI is seeking Chandrakar’s answers about how the money was collected, layered, transferred outside India, and used. The figures also indicate why officials and beneficiaries are central to the investigation.

The CBI alleges that police officials, administrative officers, and influential political figures misused their positions to protect the betting operation. According to the agency, Chandrakar, other promoters, and associates regularly paid for this protection. The alleged arrangement allowed the syndicate to continue operating despite its illegal nature.

The payment system reportedly involved hawala operators. The CBI says they arranged and distributed the alleged protection money. Police officers and employees were also allegedly engaged to channel payments to police and administrative officials. This suggests a chain in which money moved through intermediaries rather than directly from promoters to every beneficiary.

Investigators now want Chandrakar to identify the officials who allegedly received or were receiving these benefits. They also want to establish how the payments were organised and whether assets were later acquired with the money. The allegations remain part of an ongoing investigation. The EOW FIR named several accused, including Bhupesh Baghel, who called the case politically motivated.

Hawala is an informal money-transfer arrangement in which value is passed through intermediaries rather than through a standard bank transaction. A person gives money to one intermediary, while another intermediary delivers equivalent value elsewhere. Records may be limited or kept outside normal banking systems. This explanation uses established general knowledge; the article itself identifies hawala operators but does not define the system.

In this case, the CBI says hawala operators were used to arrange and distribute alleged protection money. Police officers and employees were also allegedly involved in channeling payments to police and administrative officials. Such a structure could separate the people supplying funds from those receiving them, making the payment trail harder to follow.

The CBI is seeking Chandrakar’s custody partly to map these channels. Investigators want to identify public servants who allegedly received illegal financial benefits and trace proceeds transferred outside India. Whether hawala was used in specific transactions will depend on evidence gathered during the investigation and any later court findings.

The alleged concealment system relied on false identities, numerous accounts, and international transfers. The CBI says the accused arranged hundreds of bank accounts using forged documents. These accounts allegedly facilitated transactions involving the proceeds of crime and were operated on a commission basis.

Panel operators allegedly transferred betting proceeds to Chandrakar and other promoters in the UAE through multiple bank accounts. The CBI also says the money was collected, layered, and transferred outside India. Layering means moving funds through several transactions or accounts to obscure their origin. That definition is established financial knowledge; the article specifically describes multiple accounts and overseas transfers.

Investigators are now trying to trace the full route of the money. They want to identify the people operating the accounts, the channels used for transfers, and assets created from the alleged earnings. The ED has attached properties in India and abroad linked to the syndicate. The CBI’s custody request is intended to help clarify these financial links.

If investigators prove that public officials accepted illegal payments, those officials could face criminal proceedings and scrutiny of assets allegedly acquired from such proceeds. The CBI has alleged criminal protection of the betting syndicate, while the EOW FIR invokes criminal conspiracy, cheating, and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Final liability would depend on evidence and court decisions.

The agencies have different roles in this case. The CBI is questioning Chandrakar and investigating the transferred betting-scam cases, including alleged officials, beneficiaries, and financial channels. The ED is separately investigating alleged money laundering and has estimated the proceeds at around ₹6,000 crore. The state EOW registered an FIR in March 2024 based on an ED report.

The investigation remains active. In August 2024, the state government transferred cases from various police stations and the EOW case to the CBI. Chandrakar’s eight-day custody may help investigators identify officials, trace payments, and locate assets. Ravi Uppal’s extradition is also being pursued by India.