BHILLAI: After a full day of searching his as well as his son Chaitanya Baghel’s residence and reportedly 14 sites within the Durg district of Chhattisgarh, Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel reported that the Enforcement Directorate officials could not supply him with the Enforcement Case Information Report number (ECIR).
As per the ED’s standard procedure, the ECIR is registered before any enforcement actions are initiated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Baghel detailed, “During the raid, they uncovered three key items: 1. A pen drive with conversations regarding crores in transactions between Manturam and Dr. Puneet Gupta (Dr. Raman Singh‘s son-in-law). 2. Documentation from SAIL, linked to Dr. Raman Singh’s son, Abhishek Singh. 3. Our joint family’s total assets, including farming, dairy, Stridhan, and cash, amount to around 33 lakh rupees, which I will provide to them.” He posted this update on X.
Baghel’s office claimed the raid was based on a “false case” which was dismissed by the court after going on for seven years. “If someone is trying to stop Congress in Punjab through this conspiracy, then it is a misunderstanding, ” it posted on X. It may be mentioned that the Congress leadership recently appointed Baghel as general secretary in-charge of Punjab.
In New Delhi, Pawan Khera, who leads the Congress Party’s media and publicity efforts, questioned the rationale behind the ED’s actions, particularly since a court had already dismissed a case against Baghel, and termed the raid as a “conspiracy” to divert attention for the Parliament session.
“Today, when the Parliament session is starting, the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party], which is cornered from all sides, got the ED to raid the house of senior Congress leader, Mr Bhupesh Baghel ji, in order to change the headlines and divert the country’s attention from tariff, falling economy, voter list fraud, etc, ” Khera reportedly charged.
The Congress Party has claimed that the ED raids are connected to an alleged liquor scam in which Chaitanya allegedly profited from illegal activities linked to a liquor scam.
The allegations suggest that during the Congress government’s rule in Chhattisgarh from 2018 to 2023, a staggering Rs 2, 161 crore was misappropriated through various schemes tied to this scandal. In January 2024, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against Anwar Dhebar, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the liquor scam. Dhebar, the brother of Raipur’s mayor Aijaz Dhebar, along with retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, who served as joint secretary in Chhattisgarh, and Arun Pati Tripathi, the former Special Secretary of the Government Commerce and Industry Department and Managing Director of Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Ltd, were all implicated. They are accused of extracting illegal commissions and supplying unaccounted liquor to state-run liquor stores, which allegedly resulted in a loss of Rs 2, 161 crore to the state treasury.
In January 2025, the ED arrested Kawasi Lakhma, the former excise minister, for his alleged role in the fraud. The ED’s attorney, Saurabh Kumar Pandey, revealed in court that Lakhma purportedly gained Rs 72 crore from the scam, a portion of which he reportedly used to build an office for the Congress party and a residence for his son.
Meanwhile, Baghel’s office today took to X to assert that the case, which has been ongoing for seven years, is “false” and has already been dismissed by the court. The statement emphasized, “If there’s an attempt to hinder Congress in Punjab through this conspiracy, it’s a grave misunderstanding.”
Baghel, the former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, has also found himself at the centre of controversy due to allegations linking him to the Mahadev App Scam which surfaced in 2023, although he firmly denies any wrongdoing.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has raised serious concerns, claiming that the promoters of the Mahadev App funneled a staggering ₹508 crore to sway the outcome of the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly elections. The ED is continuing its investigation into the purported political funding connections associated with the Mahadev app. This substantial sum was purportedly channeled through hawala networks and distributed in cash for various election-related activities.
However, as of now, no formal charges have been brought against Bhupesh Baghel, leaving the situation politically charged amid ongoing discussions in both legal and political arenas.
The Mahadev App Scandal has emerged as a significant illegal online betting and gambling operation, utilizing the Mahadev Online Book app to create a vast betting network worth billions of rupees, primarily aimed at Indian users. The investigation has led to the arrest of several individuals associated with the scam, including business figures and political aides who are believed to have close ties to Baghel. Notably, Anil Bhedia, a former minister in Baghel’s cabinet, has been interrogated regarding his involvement. Additionally, the masterminds behind the Mahadev App, Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, are said to have maintained connections with political figures in Chhattisgarh, with the ED alleging that a portion of the laundered funds was utilized for political maneuvers within the state.
Baghel denied all allegations, calling them a politically motivated attack by the BJP-led central government.
What is the Mahadev App scandal?
This scandal encompasses several critical elements, starting with the illegal betting operations that the app facilitated, which included wagering on sports like cricket, tennis, and football, as well as offering casino-style games and lottery options.
The alleged masterminds behind this operation, Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, are reportedly Indian nationals residing in Dubai, and they employed a franchise model that enabled sub-agents to manage betting networks throughout India. Furthermore, the operators are accused of laundering substantial amounts of money through hawala transactions and cryptocurrency, with reports indicating that they utilized high-profile events, such as a ₹200 crore wedding in Dubai, to facilitate these financial maneuvers.
The ED’s investigation, conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, has led to multiple raids across the country, resulting in the seizure of assets worth hundreds of crores, and the agency has issued lookout notices for the accused in pursuit of their extradition.
The case is still under investigation, with ongoing raids, arrests, and legal proceedings. Authorities are also trying to prevent similar illegal gambling networks from operating in India. Additionally, several Bollywood celebrities and influencers are now under investigation for their potential involvement with the app, as the ED scrutinizes their financial dealings. In response, Indian authorities are collaborating with Interpol and the UAE government to locate the accused and are taking steps to prevent the emergence of similar illegal betting applications.
So far as Baghel is concerned, it may be mentioned that only this year on March 5, a special CBI court in Raipur dismissed all charges against him related to yet another case – a controversial sex CD tape allegedly involving former BJP minister Rajesh Munat. The court’s decision came after Baghel’s legal team presented a plea asserting that he had been wrongfully implicated in the matter. His attorney, Manish Dutt, argued that Baghel had no involvement in either the creation or distribution of the CD, emphasizing his innocence during the proceedings. The controversy began in 2017 when the ruling BJP labeled the CD as “fake” and subsequently filed a police report against Baghel, the then state Congress president, and senior journalist Vinod Verma, who later became an advisor to Baghel, when the latter assumed the office of Chhattisgarh CM. Verma was apprehended in Delhi, while Baghel faced arrest in September 2018 but was later released on bail. Following the court’s ruling, Sushil Anand Shukla, chairman of the Congress Media Cell, stated that the evidence presented did not implicate Baghel in any wrongdoing, leading to his exoneration. In response to the verdict, Baghel expressed his relief on social media, posting “Satyamev Jayate.” The charges against him included criminal conspiracy, forgery, and violations of the IT Act, with the previous Raman Singh administration alleging that the case was politically motivated and warranted a CBI investigation.
Courtesy: https://globalbihari.com/