Last month, the state’s economic offences wing filed an FIR against 20 accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code in the alleged ₹5,500 crore Mahadev app case.
“Baghel has been named by the promoters of Mahadev Online Book to be the beneficiary of betting funds. It has also been revealed by Chandrabhushan Verma (arrested ASI) that his OSD and political advisor were being paid proceeds out of Mahadev Online Book,” as per the FIR based on ED’s probe.
ED has urged the state police to investigate the alleged role of politicians and police personnel.
In his statement to ED, Verma alleged that monthly payments between November 2021 and June 2023 were made for smooth operation of the syndicate operating mainly from Chhattisgarh. These payments ranged from ₹10 lakh to ₹35 lakh per month for police officers depending on superiority and ₹35 lakh to a crore for bureaucrats, ED claimed.
As per ED’s probe, a senior IG rank officer was allegedly sharing details of possible ED and I-T department actions with Verma via his subordinates. ED has based its findings on the alleged WhatsApp chats between Verma and Satish Chandrakar. In these chats, Verma shared details on the impending actions by ED and I-T department, ED alleged. ED has claimed that Verma “disclosed” that the said officer had deployed informers in the guise of tea seller, street food sellers to gather intelligence on ED officers and these were passed on to two constables, who subsequently communicated them to the officer. ED report claimed that Satish Chandrakar (another accused) in his statement alleged that ₹81 crore was paid through multiple police personnel in the last two years. The FIR comes at a time when campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls is in full swing. Baghel was not immediately available for a comment. However, in the past, he has alleged that the case against him is politically motivated. “Through hawala channels the said protection money reached police officers and staff who then distributed it to senior and influential police officials and politicians… ED has been investigating the money trail and also attached certain tainted assets which were created/ bought through proceeds of crime,” as per the FIR seen by ET.
ED had earlier claimed that one of the accused, Asim Das, the courier, allegedly delivered money to Baghel. ED sources said since the case of gratification is better suited to be probed by the anti-corruption bureau of CBI, the information has been shared with them.
