NEW DELHI: Enforcement Directorate (ED) has included the former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, in a supplementary chargesheet filed on January 1, 2024, related to the Mahadev Betting App Case. The chargesheet alleges that Baghel received bribes totaling approximately Rupees 508 crore from the promoters of the App.
The supplementary chargesheet, filed before the special court for PMLA cases in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, outlines the involvement of several accused individuals, including Subham Soni, Anil Kumar Agrawal alias Atul Agrawal, Rohit Gulati, Bhim Singh Yadav, and Asim Das. A person named Dixit Kothari has been arrested from Mumbai in connection to this app case.
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As per ED’s findings, Das, a courier for Mahadev App promoters, claimed that Subham Soni instructed him to deliver a substantial amount of cash to Baghel. A voice message recovered from Das’s phone further substantiates the claims, where Soni instructs him to deliver rupees 8-10 crore to Baghel upon returning to India.
FLASH: ED’s Second chargesheet reveals former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel’s involvement in #Mahadevbettingapp; accused conversations hint at monetary transactions.
SIT makes first arrest from Mumbai. #BhupeshBaghel #MahadevBettingApp #ED #EDRaids pic.twitter.com/CtarpDu3Ai
— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) January 6, 2024
The chargesheet details Das’s visit to Dubai on October 25, 2023, where he was provided with cash to be delivered to Baghel. Notably, on November 2, 2023, the ED intercepted Das and seized ₹5.39 crore from his premises, allegedly being moved by Mahadev App promoters to a select politician in Chhattisgarh. Das admitted that he was tasked by Subham Soni to deliver the cash to Baghel.
Subham Soni’s email correspondence and statements from witnesses, including Chandrabhushan Verma, suggest Bhim Singh Yadav’s role as a conduit for Mahadev Online Book in the payment of “liaisoning money.”
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The chargesheet indicates that the ED has raised serious allegations against Baghel, claiming that ₹508 crore were given to him by the Mahadev App promoters during the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly elections. Asim Das, who initially recanted his statement, has now reverted to his initial claims against Baghel.
Baghel, denying all allegations, had previously accused the opposition BJP of using the ED for political gains. The ED’s chargesheet underscores the gravity of the Mahadev App case, revealing intricate details of alleged bribery and money movement, with Baghel at the center of the controversy.