Bhupesh Baghel Named Accused In FIR Filed By CBI In Mahadev Betting App Case

Baghel was was also named in the FIR filed earlier by Chhattisgarh EOW. Earlier, the CBI raided 60 places in connection with the Mahadev betting app case.

File photo of Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

Source : PTI

Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has been named as one of the accused in an FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Mahadev betting app case.

 

The CBI has re-registered the FIR of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Chhattisgarh police as its own case under the Indian Penal Code sections of 120-B (criminal conspiracy), cheating (420) and Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act.

 

The former CM has been listed in the FIR as accused number 6 of 19 named. The allegations have been denied by Baghel, who termed the CBI action as politically motivated, PTI reported.

 

The CBI registered the FIR in December last year and conducted searches at the residence of Baghel on March 26. The FIR was made public on Tuesday.

 

According to the procedure in cases referred to the CBI by a state government, the agency re-registers the FIR of the state police as its own case.

 

Taking the FIR as the starting point of the investigation, the central agency probes the case and gives its findings to a special court in the form of a final report, which may or may not carry the allegations of the FIR.

 

The FIR of the Chhattisgarh EOW, referred to the CBI by the state government, was filed on the basis of an Enforcement Directorate report to state police.

 

The ED report, which became part of the EOW FIR and now the CBI case, alleged that Dubai-based Sourabh Chandrakar, Ravi Uppal, Shubham Soni, and Anil Kumar Agrawal are the main owners of the company 'Mahadev Online Book' which ran an online betting empire through massive call centres.   

 

It alleged that Mahadev Online Book and its sister concerns were generating betting proceeds to the tune of Rs 450 crore every month.

 

The ED has alleged that promoters and associates were dealing in cryptocurrencies to hide the money trail from the authorities. On the alleged role of Baghel, the ED report said that he has been named by the promoters of Mahadev Online Book as a beneficiary of the betting funds.

 

The ED said that in 2023, it had seized Rs 5.39 crore in cash from one Asim Das, an alleged cash courier. The federal agency said it was able to obtain from the mobile phone of Asim Das a voice note, which was claimed to have been shared by Shubham Soni.