UAE Extradition Bid Reopened for Mahadev App Co-Founder Sourabh Chandrakar
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sent a fresh extradition request to the UAE to apprehend Sourabh Chandrakar, co-founder of the Mahadev app, who was previously detained in Dubai in 2024. Authorities in the UAE are expected to provisionally arrest Chandrakar, paving the way for his extradition to India. Chandrakar, in his early 30s, is accused of being the mastermind behind a ₹6,000 crore illegal betting syndicate. He fled to Dubai in 2019 with co-founder Ravi Uppal, who is still at large. The duo allegedly ran the betting empire from Dubai, operating over 3,200 betting panels across India and generating ₹240 crore per day. The ED's renewed extradition request has been sent through the Ministry of External Affairs and is expected to be executed in the coming days. Officials claim that Chandrakar's assets worth ₹74 crore have been attached, and the agency is preparing to seize assets worth over ₹1,000 crore. The Supreme Court has directed the ED to take action against the Mahadev app founders, observing that those responsible for white-collar crimes cannot be allowed to evade justice. The ED is also pursuing fugitive economic offender proceedings against Chandrakar and Uppal, which could result in the confiscation of their assets. The Central Bureau of Investigation and Chhattisgarh police are also investigating the Mahadev founders, along with several government officials in Raipur, for their alleged involvement in the illegal betting operations. Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel has been named as an accused in the investigation.
