In a major development, former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel has been named as an accused in an FIR registered by the Economic Offences Wing in the Mahadev betting app case.
Baghel, along with app promoters Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, is among the 21 individuals booked under cheating, criminal conspiracy, and other charges. The case pertains to the alleged Rs 6,000 crore scam through the illegal betting application.
As per reports, unnamed bureaucrats and police officers from Baghel’s tenure have also been charged. Earlier, the ED also implicated him in a chargesheet for receiving Rs 508 crore in bribes from promoters in Dubai.
Congress has fielded Baghel from the high-profile Rajnandgaon LS seat. But this latest FIR may dent his prospects, considering the mammoth scale of the scam.
The ED probe revealed how the app acted as an “umbrella syndicate” for anonymous betting websites. It allegedly paid politicians and officials to ensure smooth operation.
Promoters Chandrakar and Uppal are currently in deportation limbo after being apprehended in the UAE on an Interpol notice. The case continues to unravel, with new details emerging regularly.
Baghel’s role has now come under the scanner as investigations gather steam on the shocking Mahadev racket.
