Hyderabad: Two days before Chhattisgarh goes to hustings, the explosive allegations of an accused in the Mahadev betting app case appear to have caught the Congress government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel off guard and left many tongues wagging.
In February, the Mahadev app, run from Dubai, had earlier come under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate after a Rs 200-crore grand wedding held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the entire amount spent on the bash was paid in cash.
Baghel's alleged link and patronage of the owners of the Mahadev app raised many eyebrows and gave the BJP enough ammo to pounce on the Congress government in the poll-bound state. A video message circulated on social media on Sunday showed Shubham Soni claiming that he gave Rs 508 crore to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s aides. In the video, Soni claimed Baghel 'encouraged” him to go to Dubai and run his business, and that he has been giving 'protection money' to Chhattisgarh politicians and police to protect his men.
As usual, Baghel denied the charge and presented his oft-used logic whenever he faced corruption charges.“It's a known fact that BJP wants to fight elections by using central agencies like ED, IT etc. Just before assembly polls, an ugly attempt is being made to malign my image. This is a political attempt to defame the popular Congress government through ED’s medium. Earlier, in the Mahadev app case, ED defamed people close to me by raiding their homes, and now, suddenly, based on a person’s statement, they have made an allegation of me taking Rs 508 crore.”
Baghel also asked the Election Commission to check the money allegedly coming in boxes brought by central agencies in special planes. The ED had previously disclosed that a 'cash courier' alleged Baghel's receipt of the same amount from Mahadev app promoters based in the UAE. Soni alleged that his meeting with CM Baghel was arranged by Vinod Verma, a political advisor to Baghel.
Prior to making these allegations, Soni revealed that he was the proprietor of the Mahadev betting app, which he had established in 2021, and he possessed the documentation to substantiate his claims.
According to Soni, He launched the app in 2021, and his gambling business in Bhilai flourished thereafter. From a modest beginning, he earned hefty bucks in quick time, Soni claimed. "When my associates encountered legal issues, I began paying Vinod Verma Rs 10 lakh each month for protection," Soni said. He added that after a smooth run, his business hit a hurdle and when he along with his associates met CM Baghel and Vinod Verma, they advised me to expand my operations to Dubai.
Soon after the allegation against Baghel surfaced, the Centre blocked 22 illegal betting apps and websites, including Mahadev Book Online at the behest of the Enforcement Directorate. "The action follows investigations conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against illegal betting app syndicate and subsequent raids on Mahadev Book in Chhattisgarh, revealing the app’s unlawful operations," the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said in a statement.
The Mahadev app earned notoriety for illicit online betting. It promoted unlawful gambling on various games, including poker, card games, badminton, tennis, football, and cricket. Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, who hail from Chhattisgarh and are now based in Dubai, operated the app.
Soni's revelation is likely to be weaponised by the BJP in a big way during the assembly polls with the saffron party already training its guns on the Baghel government over the ruling dispensation's alleged corruption, nepotism, and scams. Earlier, in its 104-page chargesheet against the Congress government in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, the BJP alleged large-scale corruption, nepotism, and scams under the Bhupesh Baghel government.
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