CBI Raids Multiple Gujarat Cities in Widening Mahadev Betting App Investigation

The Central Bureau of Investigation carried out extensive search operations across Gujarat on Friday in connection with the illegal Mahadev Online Book betting app syndicate. Federal officers searched premises across Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat as part of a coordinated multi-city crackdown. The searches were initiated after investigators obtained actionable intelligence during the custodial interrogation of key app promoter Saurabh Chandrakar.

The Gujarat operations formed a crucial component of a larger nationwide sweep targeting approximately thirty-three locations across six Indian states. Alongside Gujarat, teams inspected premises in Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur, Bhopal, Indore, Raipur, Durg, Amritsar, Nagaur, and Dholpur. The multi-state operation aimed to dismantle the distributed infrastructure that maintained the platform's betting services and covert financial flows.

During the coordinated raids, federal agents uncovered and dismantled several active online betting panels operating in real time. Officials discovered technical setups designed to facilitate illegal wagers and record transactions away from traditional banking supervision. The immediate takedown prevented the continued collection of bets and preserved real-time administrative logs for evidentiary analysis.

Investigative teams seized significant troves of digital equipment, including desktop servers, laptops, mobile handsets, and digital storage drives. Investigators also confiscated hard-copy ledgers and financial documents detailing transaction histories and client accounts. Forensic experts have commenced analyzing the seized hardware to reconstruct electronic audit trails linking localized operators to high-level platform administrators.

The documentary and electronic material seized during the searches pointed to extensive hawala channels used to route illicit betting proceeds outside the country. According to investigative findings, vast sums collected from domestic bettors were pooled through unauthorized financial intermediaries. The funds were subsequently channeled into offshore accounts and converted through shell corporate structures to disguise their origin.

Investigators also detected a complex web of mule bank accounts registered under the identities of third parties and fabricated personas. These proxy accounts allowed the syndicate to process daily deposits and withdrawals while shielding core syndicates from regulatory monitoring. Financial institutions linked to these accounts are now facing scrutiny as federal authorities seek to determine whether compliance oversights enabled the illicit activity.

The widespread searches follow significant breakthroughs achieved after Chandrakar was brought back to India from overseas custody. The promoter had been subjected to eight days of intensive interrogation by federal sleuths following his extradition and arrival in the country. A special CBI court in Raipur subsequently remanded Chandrakar to judicial custody, providing authorities with a substantial body of actionable testimony regarding the syndicate's operational partners.

The CBI's operational moves coincide with parallel investigations conducted by the Enforcement Directorate into money laundering and asset concealment tied to the betting operation. The anti-money laundering agency has independently traced substantial wealth amassed by the syndicate's masterminds across luxury real estate, entertainment sponsorship, and foreign assets. Both agencies are coordinating information exchanges to establish the full financial scope of the illicit betting enterprise.

The crackdown in Gujarat highlights the extensive domestic footprint maintained by offshore-managed betting syndicates within major regional commercial centers. Ahmedabad, Surat, and Vadodara have emerged as vital nodes for cash aggregation and regional bookmaking networks tied to overseas masterminds. By targeting these regional clearinghouses, investigators aim to disrupt the domestic funding pipeline that sustains offshore illicit gambling platforms.

Federal authorities are expected to summon several regional account holders, platform operators, and financial facilitators identified in the seized ledgers for formal questioning in the coming days. The CBI continues to analyze retrieved electronic communications to pinpoint additional secondary nodes across western and central India. The outcome of the ongoing forensic analysis will determine whether further arrests and asset attachment proceedings follow in Gujarat.