The Chhattisgarh Economic Offence Wing/Anti-Corruption Bureau (EOW/ACB) conducted raids at 29 locations across five districts in connection with the alleged Mahadev betting app scam uncovered during the previous Congress government led by Bhupesh Baghel.
The EOW/ACB initiated a case regarding the alleged Mahadev online betting scam in March this year following a report submitted by the Enforcement Directorate, which is investigating the money laundering aspect.
“As part of the ongoing investigation into the case, various teams of the ACB/EOW launched raids this morning at 18 sites in Durg district, seven locations in Raipur, two locations in Balodabazar, and one each in Raigarh and Kanker,” stated an ACB/EOW release.
During the searches, electronic devices, asset-related documents, Hawala slips, banking documents, and other suspicious documents associated with the Mahadev app were seized and are currently under examination, the release added.
“Meanwhile, Arjun Singh Yadav, a long-absconding accused in the case, was located in Pachmarhi (in Madhya Pradesh) and brought to the bureau office here for interrogation. He was arrested following interrogation,” the release stated.
So far, seven individuals have been arrested in connection with the case, officials confirmed.
The ACB/EOW’s FIR in the alleged Mahadev betting app scandal has named former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, as well as the app’s promoters Ravi Uppal, Saurabh Chandrakar, Shubham Soni, Anil Kumar Agrawal, and 14 others as accused. The case was registered under Indian Penal Code sections 120b (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), among others, as well as sections 7 and 11 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act 2018.
According to the FIR, Mahadev book app promoters engaged in live online betting through platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram, and others. “The promoters conducted illegal acts of online betting through panel operators/branch operators. They retained 70-80 per cent of illegal earnings and distributed the remainder to panel operators/branch operators,” it stated.
The promoters and panel operators reportedly earned approximately Rs 450 crore per month through the online betting app after the Covid lockdown was imposed in 2020. These panel operators transferred illegal funds to promoters in the UAE through various bank accounts. Additionally, several police, administrative officers, and influential political figures allegedly misused their positions to acquire illegal assets in the form of protection money from the Mahadev Book App promoters.
The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached many immovable properties in connection with the case. The ED filed two chargesheets in the Mahadev app-related money laundering case in a Raipur court, including against Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal. The agency had previously conducted multiple raids in connection with the case.
The projected proceeds of crime in this case amount to about Rs 6,000 crore, according to the ED. The BJP has consistently criticized former CM Baghel in connection with the case, while Baghel has countered, alleging that the ED’s actions are part of a “political conspiracy.”
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