At least five Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, seven Chhattisgarh Police Service (CPS) officers and over a dozen lower-rung officers of the state police are under the scanner of anti-corruption bureau (ACB) of Chhattisgarh over their alleged involvement in the Mahadev betting app case, people familiar with the matter said.
The Chhattisgarh police has already registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1998 based on the investigation report submitted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
“ED in its prosecution complaints submitted to the PLMA [Prevention of Money Laundering Act] court in 2023 had hinted that money was given to senior officers of Chhattisgarh police by the operators of Mahadev app, but has not named them. Now, we are focusing on the money trail through which the money was given to around five IPS officers and other policemen,” an ACB official, who is working on the case, said, requesting anonymity.
The official added that the ACB/EOW has recently questioned some lower-rung police officers of Chhattisgarh.
“The police officers were providing protection to the local operators... First, there was a constabulary who took money in a very unsophisticated way and hence we get evidence easily. Secondly, the CPS and IPS officers were given money in a very sophisticated way and their money trail is very difficult to find. But we are working hard to find out the evidence so that they could be charge-sheeted,” the official said.
{{/usCountry}}“The police officers were providing protection to the local operators... First, there was a constabulary who took money in a very unsophisticated way and hence we get evidence easily. Secondly, the CPS and IPS officers were given money in a very sophisticated way and their money trail is very difficult to find. But we are working hard to find out the evidence so that they could be charge-sheeted,” the official said.
{{/usCountry}}The ACB has so far arrested seven people in connection with the case.
“The first arrest was on April 4 hence we have more than two months to find evidence against the police [officers] and file a charge sheet,” the official said.
In October 2022, ED had initiated a money laundering probe based on the FIRs registered by the Chhattisgarh police in Durg, Raipur and Bilaspur. ED probe revealed that Mahadev Online Book provided online platforms for illegal betting in live games such as poker, card games, chance games, betting on cricket, badminton, tennis, football etc, and also provided facility for playing a number of card games such as TEEN PATTI, Poker, and Dragon Tiger. The apps also allowed placing bets on different elections in India.