Sourabh Chandrakar, the co-founder and prime accused in the Rs 6,000 crore Mahadev betting app syndicate, has been detained by the Royal Oman Police. The arrest was executed based on an Interpol Red Notice issued by Indian authorities, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Chhattisgarh Police. Indian agencies are currently working to secure his extradition or deportation to face money laundering and illegal gambling charges back home.

Before establishing the massive international betting network, Chandrakar ran a local juice shop named "Juice Factory" alongside his brother in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. He left for Dubai in 2019, which served as the operational hub for the syndicate. The ED alleges that the Mahadev app functioned as a large-scale international betting ring, operating through various online platforms like 'Tiger Exchange', 'Gold365', and 'Laser247' via a franchise-based network of branches across India.

The investigation has already seen significant crackdowns, with the ED attaching assets valued at Rs 1,700 crore, primarily located in Dubai's iconic Burj Khalifa. While Chandrakar was previously detained in Dubai in 2024 and subsequently released, his partner and co-founder, Ravi Uppal, reportedly fled UAE jurisdiction to Vanuatu, an island nation in the South Pacific. Thus far, 13 individuals have been arrested, and 74 entities have been named as accused across five charge sheets filed in a special court in Raipur. Authorities are also moving to officially declare the promoters as fugitive economic offenders.

Indian officials remain highly optimistic about Chandrakar's return, pointing to strong bilateral relations and the recently implemented Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and Oman, which took effect on June 1, 2026.