Archive · 25 Sep 2026
CBI arrests alleged Mahadev betting app kingpin in Hyderabad
The CBI arrested Abhishek Kumar in a case about the Mahadev online betting app.
He was arrested at an airport in Hyderabad after arriving from Dubai.
One report said he had been deported, while the others only said he arrived from Dubai.
Investigators say he helped run betting operations and coordinate betting panels.
They also accuse him of collecting money and buying property in Dubai with alleged betting proceeds.
The CBI says evidence links him to Saurabh Chandrakar and Shubham Soni.
A Hyderabad court allowed him to be taken to Raipur, where police received two days of custody.
The CBI says it has filed eight chargesheets against 100 accused people.
The ED has separately reported much larger and varying estimates of the alleged criminal proceeds, which remain agency estimates and allegations.
The CBI arrested alleged kingpin Abhishek Kumar after he arrived from Dubai at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.
The agency alleges Kumar operated betting activities, coordinated panels, collected funds and acquired Dubai property using betting proceeds.
The CBI said seized material prima facie linked Kumar to the app and to alleged main accused Saurabh Chandrakar and Shubham Soni.
Kumar received three days of transit remand in Hyderabad and two days of police custody in Raipur.
The CBI has filed eight chargesheets against 100 accused, while the ED’s separate probe has reported varying provisional estimates of the alleged proceeds.
- Who
- The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested Abhishek Kumar, whom it identifies as an alleged kingpin and wanted accused; the case also involves alleged promoters Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal.
- What
- Kumar was arrested in the alleged Mahadev Online Betting App betting and gambling case.
- When
- The arrest was reported on September 24; one article dates the event to September 24, 2026.
- Where
- Kumar was arrested at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad and later taken to Raipur.
- Why
- The CBI alleges that Kumar operated betting activities, coordinated panels, collected funds and acquired Dubai property using proceeds allegedly generated by betting and gambling.
Investigators’ allegations
Denials and qualifications
Kumar’s alleged role
Investigators’ allegations
The CBI alleges that Abhishek Kumar actively operated Mahadev betting activities, coordinated panels, collected funds and acquired Dubai property with alleged proceeds.
Denials and qualifications
Kumar’s own response is not provided in the articles, and the CBI describes the seized material as showing his role prima facie, meaning the allegations remain subject to legal proceedings.
Scale of alleged proceeds
Investigators’ allegations
The CBI-linked reports cite alleged proceeds of Rs 80,000 crore since 2019, while the ED has cited a provisional estimate of Rs 94,400 crore over ten years and additional estimates for related websites.
Denials and qualifications
The figures are not presented consistently: one article calls the matter a Rs 6,000-crore case, and the ED says its Rs 94,400-crore figure is only a provisional estimate subject to revision.
Political involvement
Investigators’ allegations
The ED has alleged active support and illegal gratification involving local police, bureaucrats and politically exposed persons, and its allegations include former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel as a beneficiary.
Denials and qualifications
Bhupesh Baghel has denied the allegations; the articles report that the political claims have become a controversy, with the BJP attacking Baghel and the Congress.
- Investigating agency
- Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
- Arrested person
- Abhishek Kumar
- Arrest location
- Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad
- Case name
- Mahadev Online Betting App, also known as Mahadev Online Book (MOB)
- Court-authorized custody
- Three days of transit remand in Hyderabad and two days of police custody in Raipur
- CBI case progress
- Eight chargesheets filed against 100 accused
- Agency notices
- Seven Red Corner Notices and two extradition proposals have been sent; extradition proceedings against two accused are underway
- Reported proceeds
- Figures vary: the CBI-linked reports cite Rs 80,000 crore since 2019, while an ED charge sheet gives a provisional estimate of Rs 94,400 crore over ten years
