The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has said that according to fresh evidence following a search operation on November 2, it has come to light that regular payments have been made in the past and so far around Rs 508 crore has been paid by Mahadev App Promoters to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
The ED received credible inputs and conducted successful search operations on November 2 in Chhattisgarh in which Rs 5.39 crore in cash was intercepted in the poll-bound state.
The ED is investigating Mahadev Book Online Betting App syndicate in which the promoters of this betting syndicate are based abroad and remotely running thousands of panels across India with the help of their friends and associates who are mainly from Chhattisgarh and have earned thousands of crore of proceeds of crime.
The ED has already arrested four accused persons and seized proceeds of crime worth more than Rs 450 crore and has filed a prosecution complaint against 14 accused persons.
On November 2, the ED received intelligence input that a large amount of cash is being moved in Chhattisgarh by the promoters of Mahadev App in relation to Assembly Elections scheduled on November 7 and 17.
The ED conducted searches at Hotel Triton and another location in Bhilai and successfully intercepted a cash courier Asim Das who was sent from UAE especially, to deliver large amount of cash for electioneering expenses of the ruling Congress party.
The ED has recovered cash amount of Rs 5.39 crore from his car and at his residence. Asim Das has admitted that the seized funds were arranged by the Mahadev App promoters to be delivered to one politician, ‘Baghel’ for upcoming election expenses in the state of Chhattisgarh.
ED also discovered some benami bank accounts of Mahadev App in which balance amounts of Rs 15.59 crore has been frozen. The ED has arrested Asim Das.
“ED has conducted search operations on 2/11/2023 against the money laundering networks linked with Mahadev Book Online Betting APP in Chhatishgarh in which cash of Rs. 5.39 crore and bank balance Rs 15.59 crore has been intercepted and frozen/ seized,” the ED posted on ‘X’.
From the questioning of Asim Das and the forensic examination of the phone recovered from him, and examination of an email sent by Shubam Soni (one of the high ranking accused of Mahadev network) many startling allegations have come forth, namely, that regular payments have been made in the past and so far around Rs 508 Crore have been paid by Mahadev APP Promoters to Bhupesh Baghel, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh. However, these allegations are subject to investigation.
During further investigation, ED has also questioned and arrested Police Constable Bheem Yadav. The ED investigation has revealed that in the last three years, Bheem Yadav had unauthorizedly travelled to Dubai, admittedly met Ravi Uppal and Sourabh Chandrakar, participated in the gala functions of the Mahadev app, and his travel expenses were borne by M/s Rapid Travels of Ahuja Brothers, a money laundering and ticketing company of Mahadev App.
He was the conduit to receive bribe money from Mahadev App promoters for the benefit of senior officers and politicians of Chhattisgarh.
Both the accused persons were produced before the PMLA Special Judge Raipur and ED has sought their custodial interrogation to independently corroborate their startling admissions and trace evidence of money laundering. The court has remanded them to ED custody for seven days.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
