Wed Apr 02 04:11:45 UTC 2025: **Former Chhattisgarh CM Baghel Named in Mahadev Betting Scam FIR**
**New Delhi, April 2, 2025** – Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has been named as an accused in a First Information Report (FIR) related to the Mahadev betting scam, officials confirmed today. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) re-registered the FIR, originally filed by the Chhattisgarh Economic Offences Wing (EOW), after receiving it from the state government.
The FIR, made public on Tuesday, alleges that Baghel, listed as accused number 6 of 19, was a beneficiary of funds generated by the illegal online betting operation. The allegations stem from an Enforcement Directorate (ED) report that details a massive betting empire run by Dubai-based individuals, including Sourabh Chandrakar, Ravi Uppal, Shubham Soni, and Anil Kumar Agrawal, generating an estimated ₹450 crore monthly. The ED report claims these individuals obtained Vanuatu citizenship to evade legal action and used cryptocurrencies to obscure financial transactions.
The ED report alleges that Baghel’s office staff received regular payments from the betting operation. Evidence cited includes a voice note recovered from the phone of Asim Das, an alleged cash courier arrested by the ED in 2023, explicitly linking seized funds to Baghel. The CBI’s statement following searches conducted at Baghel’s residence on March 26th alleges that “substantial amounts as ‘protection money’ to public servants” were paid to facilitate the illegal betting network.
Baghel vehemently denies the allegations, calling the CBI action politically motivated. He points to the previous Congress government’s actions against the Mahadev app, including the filing of 74 FIRs, over 200 arrests, and the freezing of over 2,000 bank accounts. He also accuses the current government of hypocrisy, citing the visit of a BJP-supporting religious guru to Dubai as a guest of the app’s promoters. The investigation is ongoing.
First Piper 