Delhi court grants CBI 2-day transit remand of Mahadev app kingpin Sourabh Chandrakar following Oman extradition

The probe agency sought transit custody to safely transport and produce him before the designated Special CBI Court in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, where criminal proceedings and chargesheets are pending.

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Monday granted a two-day transit remand of Mahadev App promoter Saurabh Chandrakar, who is wanted in an alleged illegal betting syndicate case, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The accused was produced before Principal District and Sessions Judge (PDSJ) Nikhil Chopra following his high-profile extradition from Oman.

The CBI informed the court that Chadrakar is an accused in a case pending in Raipur and he has been chargesheeted. Chandrakar, who was detained in Oman in July by the Royal Oman Police following an Interpol Red Corner Notice issued against him and travel document discrepancies, was handed over to a visiting CBI team and brought back to India.

The probe agency sought transit custody to safely transport and produce him before the designated Special CBI Court in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, where criminal proceedings and chargesheets are pending. Senior Public Prosecutor (Sr. PP) for V K Pathak for CBI submitted that, in view of the sensitivity of the case, the agency may be allowed to take him in handcuffs

Advocate Tushar Giri, counsel for accused Saurabh Chandrakar, opposed the transit remand, calling it deficient He is extradited from the Sultanate of Oman in a money laundering case, and therefore he can be arrested for the offences for which he is extradited, the counsel said.

The counsel also submitted that he has been extradited for the money laundering offence. He has not been extradited in the CBI case. So he cannot be arrested and tried in the CBI case. "As he cannot be tried by the CBI, then how can he be arrested?" the counsel said.

It was also submitted by the counsel that an undertaking was given before the Oman Court that he will only be tried for the offence of money laundering at the PMLA court at Raipur as per the extradition judgment. The counsel said that the arrest is illegal.

The CBI counsel said that defence counsel is referring to an old order. In the order we received, it is nowhere mentioned that he will only be extradited for the money laundering case. The court asked the CBI to clarify the legal position on the points raised by the defence counsel.

Chandrakar is wanted in two CBI cases, in which chargesheets have already been filed, and one Enforcement Directorate (ED) case, in which a prosecution complaint has been filed. The transit proceedings in New Delhi saw heavy legal sparring after Chandrakar’s defence counsel introduced copies of a ruling issued by the Sultanate of Oman's Supreme Judicial Council (Muscat Court of Appeal).

The CBI said that, being the nodal agency, they were called and custody was handed over. It further submitted that no condition has been imposed by the Oman Court in the extradition judgement, in relation to which case he has to be tried, noting that there is no clarity in judgement of extradition. Advocate Tushar Giri opposed the submissions of the CBI, saying that the CBI doesn't have the authenticated copy of the judgement. It was also submitted that the final judgement has no mention of the CBI case. Advocate Tushar Giri also opposed the prayers of the CBI to keep the accused in handcuffs.

This comes as the Muscat Court of Appeal in Oman has ruled in favour of extraditing Mahadev online betting app promoter Saurabh Chandrakar to the Republic of India to face trial for money laundering and illegal betting, while rejecting a competing extradition request from the UAE. However, the court ordered that Chandrakar’s handover to Indian authorities be formally postponed until the conclusion of ongoing local criminal proceedings against him in Oman for travelling with a forged document.

In its decision issued by the Criminal Circuit (Grievances) on October 8, 2026, the three-judge panel presided over by Judge Saeed bin Salim bin Hamad Al-Harthi addressed simultaneous extradition demands submitted by India and the UAE. During the proceedings, legal counsel for Chandrakar argued against his extradition, presenting a defence that he had renounced his Indian citizenship in 2020 at the Indian Embassy in Dubai and subsequently acquired nationality in Vanuatu.

The court dismissed this argument after the Public Prosecution obtained an official diplomatic clarification from the Indian Embassy in Muscat, which confirmed that Chandrakar remains an Indian citizen wanted for extradition. Evaluating competing claims under Article 6 of Omani law, the court noted that India held priority in its application, that Chandrakar is an Indian national, and that the alleged offences took place within Indian jurisdiction. Furthermore, the court found that the UAE’s extradition request failed to incorporate mandatory legal undertakings required under Omani law—such as assurances regarding fair trial guarantees and restrictions on secondary transfers.

Consequently, the court officially rejected the UAE’s request "for failure to meet the legal conditions for extradition". The court established that India's request met all stipulations under the bilateral Extradition Treaty of 2004 and the Omani Extradition of Criminals Law, supported by charge sheets, non-bailable open-ended warrants issued by the Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Raipur, and necessary formal state undertakings.

Despite approving the extradition to India, the court noted that Chandrakar faces active local prosecution in Oman for attempting to depart Muscat International Airport using a forged travel document. Under Article 5 of Oman's Extradition Law, his physical transfer must be deferred. "The Court therefore rules that the accused... be extradited to the Republic of India... with his extradition postponed until the conclusion of his trial in Case No. 14691/5100/2026 before the Seeb Primary Court, the issuance of a final judgment therein, and the execution of the penalty imposed on him in that case," the bench ruled.

The extradition marks a significant milestone in India's sustained efforts to bring back fugitives who operate transnational criminal enterprises against Indian citizens from abroad, and to make them face the due process of Indian law. The CBI took up the investigation of the Mahadev Online Book cases at the request of the Government of Chhattisgarh.

Investigation revealed that the Mahadev Online Book was one of the largest illegal online betting syndicates in the country, run from outside India. It offered illegal betting on cricket, football, card games and other events through a network of franchised "panels" and "branches" spread across India, which enrolled users and collected stakes from them. The proceeds of the illegal betting were routed through a large number of mule bank accounts, layered through multiple transactions and moved abroad through hawala channels. Investigation further revealed that part of the proceeds were used to pay protection money to public servants so that the syndicate could operate without hindrance.

The CBI has filed the chargesheets under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and provisions of the Indian Penal Code relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery, and the Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act. Sourabh Chandrakar is among the key accused named in these chargesheets. ED has attached several properties in India and abroad. (ANI)