Bhupesh Baghel one of the 'beneficiaries' of Mahadev Betting scam: CBI FIR

Earlier, the CBI conducted searches at 60 locations, including the residence of Baghel.

New Delhi: Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel was allegedly one of the beneficiaries of the Mahadev Betting scam, according to an Enforcement Directorate report, which is now part of the CBI FIR, officials said.

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.

Baghel 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.

The CBI registered the FIR on December 18 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."

The report also said that the promoters and associates of the company have obtained citizenship of Vanuatu in "order to escape the clutches of law."

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.

"It has also been revealed by Chandrabhushan Verma (a police personnel who was the main link between Dubai-based promoters and Chhattisgarh-based powers that be) that his (Baghel's) OSD and political advisor were being paid proceeds out of Mahadev Online Book regularly," the report, now part of the CBI FIR, alleged.

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.

The recording, it alleged, made it "clearly evident" that the seized account was meant for one "Mr Baghel," who was identified by Asim Das as "Ex-CM of state Mr Bhupesh Baghel" in a statement he gave on November 3, 2023.

"As per the voice note, it was also gathered that Shubham Soni was claiming that he had also made such payments prior to this incident," the report said.

The ED had arrested Das in 2023 from a hotel in Raipur, just before the first phase of the Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh.

In the wake of the March 26 searches, Baghel had said the previous Congress government had taken stern action against Mahadev betting app.

"During (previous) Congress government in the state, around 74 FIRs were lodged in connection with Mahadev betting app and more than 200 people were arrested and over 2,000 bank accounts related to it were frozen.

"We took action against the app but they (government agencies) claim we protected the app and took money. How will the one who takes action accept the protection money? Protection money is taken where there is a double engine (government) and betting is still functional," he claimed.

Baghel also claimed that the then Congress government had requested the Centre to issue a lookout circular against Chandrakar and Uppal and arrest them from foreign destinations.

"But (religious guru) Pradeep Mishra, who praises BJP, visited Dubai by becoming a guest of Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal. If CBI officials have courage, they should ask Pardeep Mishra whose programme is currently underway in the home district of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai in Jashpur, about his relations with Saurabh Chandrakar and Pradeep Mishra," Baghel had said.

The CBI, in its statement after the searches, said, "Investigations have revealed that the promoters allegedly paid substantial amounts as 'protection money' to public servants to ensure the smooth and uninterrupted functioning of their illegal betting network."