How a Bhilai juice seller pulled off Rs 94,400-crore Mahadev betting app scam

From earning Rs 15,000 a month at a juice shop in Chhattisgarh's Bhilai to allegedly running a Rs 94,400-crore betting empire from Dubai, Mahadev app kingpin Sourabh Chandrakar's rise and fall could be turned into a Netflix series. It includes a lavish Rs 200-crore wedding and luxury villas in Dubai and then being extradited to India from Oman.

In Short

• Sourabh Chandrakar went from a Rs 15,000 juice shop-job to having villas in Dubai
• His Rs 200-crore wedding in UAE drew Indian investigators to betting money web
• After he got a Vanuatu passport, he was arrested in Oman and was brought to India

A modest juice shop in Chhattisgarh's Bhilai became the unlikely starting point of one of India's biggest illegal betting empires. Sourabh Chandrakar, who reportedly earned Rs 15,000 a month at the shop, went on to operate a sprawling betting syndicate from Dubai, with thousands of agents, offshore accounts and luxury properties to his name. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) now estimates that the Mahadev Online Book platform and associated betting websites generated Rs 94,400 crore in proceeds of crime over a decade. The man who once sold juice in Bhilai reportedly went on to host a Rs 200-crore wedding in the UAE and acquired a passport from the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. How a Bhilai juice seller built an illegal Rs 94,400-crore betting empire seems worth a Netflix series.

Sourabh Chandrakar's journey from Bhilai to Dubai is back in focus after the CBI had him extradited from Oman on Sunday (November 1). The alleged Mahadev betting syndicate promoter, wanted in two CBI cases and a separate ED money-laundering case, was brought to India following his detention by the Royal Oman Police.

In Bhilai, Chandrakar ran a family-owned juice shop, where he came in contact with Ravi Uppal, who later became his business partner. Together, they allegedly built a vast betting network spanning India and the UAE, routing money through mule bank accounts and hawala channels, according to authorities. His lavish lifestyle also attracted investigators' attention.

A Rs 200-crore wedding, attended by Tiger Shroff, Sunny Leone, Neha Kakkar, Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Vishal Dadlani, and luxury villas in Dubai and a network of financial transactions became important leads in the investigation. Here's more about it.

FROM RS 15,000 SALARY TO DUBAI BETTING EMPIRE

Chandrakar grew up in Chhatisgarh's Bhilai, where his father worked as a clerk with the municipal corporation before taking voluntary retirement. His mother was a homemaker.

According to a report in The Indian Express report, the family operated a juice shop called Juice Factory through Orbique Foods Private Limited. Chandrakar's elder brother Gitesh held a 51% stake in the company. Chandrakar worked in the shop, earning a salary of Rs 15,000 a month.

According to the newspaper, Chandrakar had been taking money from the shop and operating a small-scale business until December 2020. Ravi Uppal, who would become his partner in the alleged betting syndicate, frequently visited the establishment.

Chandrakar and Uppal are accused of developing Mahadev Online Book into a major betting platform. Chandrakar left India on February 16, 2022, and established himself in the UAE, according to charges filed by the ED.

HOW MAHADEV BETTING NETWORK OPERATED

The operation was allegedly controlled from a central headquarters in Dubai, while local agents managed betting panels across India. According to the ED, the syndicate operated by franchising betting panels to associates on a 70:30 profit-sharing arrangement. These operators enrolled customers, created betting accounts and collected money for wagers on cricket, football, tennis, card games and other activities.

The Indian Express reported that investigators had identified more than 3,200 such panels across India and the UAE.

The Dubai headquarters allegedly issued master credentials to operators and settled weekly profit-and-loss accounts. Investigators say the proceeds were moved through mule bank accounts, layered transactions and hawala networks before reaching overseas promoters.

According to the ED's September 2026 prosecution complaint, the Mahadev platform alone allegedly generated Rs 75,000 crore to Rs 80,000 crore. Associated platforms Skyexchange and Lotus365 allegedly generated another Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 12,000 crore and Rs 2,400 crore, respectively.

The ED estimated the combined proceeds at Rs 94,400 crore, a figure reported by India Today Digital on September 24.

RS 200-CRORE UAE WEDDING DREW ATTENTION OF SLEUTHS

Chandrakar's newly acquired wealth became visible when he in February 2023 married Harshita at the Waldorf Astoria in Ras Al Khaimah, the UAE. Investigators estimated that approximately Rs 200 crore in cash was spent on the celebrations held between February 10 and 14, 2023.

Guests were flown from Nagpur on three chartered aircraft, while celebrities including Tiger Shroff, Sunny Leone, Neha Kakkar, Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Vishal Dadlani attended or performed at the lavish wedding, reported India Today Digital in September 2023.

The ED traced payments through event organisers, hotels, aircraft operators and travel agents. The lavish wedding became an important lead in uncovering the alleged money-laundering network. Investigators also examined payments connected to the celebrities, performers and other arrangements for the celebrations.

CHANDRAKAR'S VANUATU PASSPORT, DUBAI VILLAS AND OMAN ARREST

Investigators also discovered that Chandrakar obtained a Vanuatu passport on May 6, 2022, while still holding an Indian passport. His Indian passport was subsequently revoked.

The ED identified properties linked to Chandrakar and his associates in Dubai, including high-value villas and apartments.

The Indian Express reported that properties worth approximately Rs 3,500 crore had been attached at their assessed present market value, including assets in India and abroad. Indian agencies had been trying to apprehend Chandrakar since 2023.

According to an India Today Magazine report published on October 24, Chandrakar was arrested in Oman's Muscat in June 2026 for allegedly entering the country on a forged passport. The report said his arrest gave Indian investigators a crucial breakthrough, although extradition was delayed by legal proceedings over the passport case in Oman.

On November 1, the CBI confirmed his extradition to India after the Royal Oman Police detained him on an Interpol Red Corner Notice.

Chandrakar now faces prosecution over the alleged betting network and money-laundering operation. His return could help investigators establish how the network operated, trace the overseas proceeds and examine allegations of protection payments to public servants.

- Ends