Baghel got ₹508 cr from Mahadev betting app promoters, says ED; CM dismisses charge

The ED, in a press statement however also said that “these (claims) are subject matter of investigation”.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday alleged that an email statement from a suspect in the alleged Mahadev betting app scam had revealed that promoters of the operation had paid bribes worth ₹508 crore to Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, and said that cash worth ₹5.39 crore seized by them on Thursday from a hotel in Raipur was being delivered for the Congress party’s election expenditure.

Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel said ED has made an extremely “malicious move to tarnish my image just before the elections”. (PTI)

The ED, in a press statement however also said that “these (claims) are subject matter of investigation”. Crucial assembly elections in the state are set to kick off on November 7, when 20 seats go to the polls, with the rest to vote on November 17. The Congress, however, termed it a “malicious” attempt to tarnish Baghel’s image.

The ED has been investigating the Mahadev Book Online Betting App syndicate since July 2022 under the charges of PMLA. They have alleged the promoters of the app, identified as Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, are based overseas and remotely run illegal betting operations with proceeds of crimes running into several thousand crores. Over the past three-four months, the ED has arrested four people, and have seized more than ₹450 crore.

On Friday, the ED arrested two more people, Asim Das and Bhim Singh Yadav, and produced them before a special Raipur court. In their remand note, they said that another suspect, identified as Shubham Soni, a “prominent member” of the financial operations of the alleged scam was asked to appear before the agency on October 26, but sent his submissions via email. “In his email submission, he has stated that kickback funds were indeed being paid regularly on behalf of Mahadev Book to the political executives for ensuring smooth operation of betting operations in the state of Chhattisgarh. He has named ‘Verma Ji’ as one of the conduits for bribe/profit share payments,” the ED said. The court remanded the two men to ED custody for seven days.

The remand note, seen by HT, says that an examination of the email dated November 2 from Soni also revealed other “startling allegations.” “Namely, that regular bribe payments have been made in the past and so far around ₹508 crore have been paid by Mahadev App promoters to Bhupesh Baghel, chief minister of Chhattisgarh,” it says.

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Reacting to the development, CM Baghel said: “As I have said earlier, BJP wants to contest the Chhattisgarh elections through the help of agencies like ED, IT and CBI. The ED has made an extremely malicious move to tarnish my image just before the elections... What’s malicious is the fact that ED has summarily said that the said statement is subject to investigation. However, if the investigation hasn’t taken place, then what’s the haste of issuing a press release based upon statement of one individual? This shows the ill intentions of ED and the central government...I have openly given statements against the political witch hunt of ED and now PM Modi and Amit Shah want to contest elections through them but the people of Chhattisgarh are not going to accept this.”

Chandrakar and Uppal currently reside in the UAE, ED officials said, and a charge sheet was filed against them in October, estimating the scam to be worth around ₹5,000 crore. The agency, based on inputs that Soni was in the process of delivering cash to select politicians for the upcoming elections, carried out a search operation on Thursday, including at the premises of Asim Das, an associate of Soni.

“ED conducted searches at Hotel Triton and another location in Bhilai and successfully intercepted Asim Das who was sent from the UAE especially, to deliver large amount of cash for electioneering expenses of the ruling Congress party,” the ED said in its statement on Friday. During the searches, it recovered ₹5.39 crore unaccounted cash from Das’s car and residence, the agency said.

The agency statement said that Das admitted that the seized funds were arranged by the promoters of the Mahadev app, and were to be delivered to a politician named “Baghel” for “upcoming election expenses”. The other man arrested on Friday, Bhim Singh Yadav was a constable in the Chhattisgarh police and worked as a conduit to collect money from those running the scam and handing it over to “Chhattisgarh politicians.” “Investigation revealed that in the last three years, Yadav had unauthorizedly travelled to Dubai (thrice – in 2020, 2021 and 2022); admittedly met Ravi Uppal and Sourabh Chandrakar, participated in the gala functions of Mahadev App, and his travel expenses were borne by M/s Rapid Travels of Ahuja Brothers - a money laundering and ticketing company of Mahadev App. He was the conduit to receive bribe money from Mahadev App promoters for the benefit of senior officers and politicians of Chhattisgarh,” ED said in its statement.

BJP leaders said that what they have been alleging for several months, was now being vindicated after months of investigations. “Everything is now clear. It is incumbent on Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to resign on moral grounds,” said former minister Ajay Chandrakar, chief spokesperson of the Chhattisgarh BJP.