India’s bid to extradite Mahadev kingpin Sourabh Chandrakar hits UAE hurdle

India’s attempt to bring Sourabh Chandrakar back from Oman has run into an unexpected obstacle: the UAE has also asked Oman to extradite him.

People familiar with the development said the UAE request could affect India’s timetable even if New Delhi wins its own extradition case. The Omani proceedings could take months or years, and Oman would have to decide how to handle the competing request before Chandrakar could be transferred to India.

The Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate have pursued Chandrakar’s extradition since the Royal Oman Police detained him in Muscat in late June on the basis of an Interpol red notice. Officials say he had been hiding in the UAE since 2019 and travelled to Oman in April using a fake passport. India had previously sent two extradition requests to the UAE, but neither succeeded. Chandrakar was detained in Dubai in 2024 and later released.

An Indian officer, speaking anonymously, said the UAE had submitted an extradition request based on charges that Indian authorities did not know. Officials also suggested that Chandrakar might have used associates to register a false case against himself in the UAE, which could now feature in Abu Dhabi’s request.

Chandrakar is accused of running the Mahadev online betting network with Ravi Uppal. The operation allegedly allowed bets on card games, cricket, badminton, tennis, football and election outcomes, despite government action against platforms linked to Mahadev. In a charge sheet, the Enforcement Directorate said the network operated at least 3,200 betting panels in different cities and generated about ₹240 crore a day. The agency has also named former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel as an accused, though he has repeatedly denied involvement. The article ends while reporting that the ED had attached 20 immovable properties worth ₹1,700 crore.

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We have learnt that the UAE authorities have also sent an extradition request for Chandrakar to Oman on some unknown charges, which we don’t know about. We are in regular touch with Omani authorities through diplomatic channels but this latest development has the potential to delay our attempts to get him sooner.