Mahadev App Case: Chhattisgarh Police Names Bhupesh Baghel in FIR

Chhattisgarh Police have filed a case naming former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel as a suspect in the Mahadev Online Book app scandal, estimated at approximately ₹6,000 crore.As reported by ANI citing sources, the Economic Offences Wing of Raipur has registered an FIR against former Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and others in the Mahadev App case. The case has been registered under sections 120B, 34, 406, 420, 467, 468, and 471 of IPC. The case was registered on March 4 against Bhupesh Baghel and 21 others.

The findings by the ED suggest the participation of high-level state government officials in facilitating the illegal activities of Mahadev, allegedly in exchange for "protection money."Earlier on Wednesday, during an investigation into the Mahadev betting app case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) revealed that several dummy accounts and fake bank entities were being used to invest nearly ₹1,100 crore in the stock market. Till the investigation is completed, the ED will keep these shares frozen.

Earlier on March 8, the Enforcement Directorate had made two fresh arrests in the Mahadev app-linked money laundering case in which various high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh are alleged to have been involved.Girish Talreja and Suraj Chokhani were taken into custody on March 2 and March 3, respectively. A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court sent them to ED custody till March 11, the agency said in a statement.

ED had elarlier claimed that the promoters of the Mahadev app paid around ₹508 crore to former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel. These allegations, made just ahead of the state assembly elections, were refuted by Baghel, who dismissed them as efforts to tarnish his reputation. The Congress party condemned the accusations as a political vendetta orchestrated by the Central government.