The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has named former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel as an accused in the Mahadev Betting App case.
The agency on Tuesday made public its first information report (FIR), listing a total of 21 individuals, including Ravi Uppal, Shubham Soni (Pintu), Chandra Bhushan Verma, Assem Das, Satish Chandrakar, Nitish Deewan, Saurabh Chandrakar, Anil Agarwal (Atul Agarwal), Vikas Chhapriya, Rohit Gaulati, Vishal Ahuja, Dheeraj Ahuja, Anil Kumar Dammani, Sunil Kumar Dammani, Bhim Singh Yadav, Harishankar Tibrewal, Surendra Bagi, Suraj Chokhani, and two unidentified persons, including a police officer.
The CBI has levelled charges under Sections 120(B), 420, 467, and 468 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with provisions from the Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2002, and the Public Gambling Act.
The investigative agency has conducted searches at over 60 locations across Chhattisgarh, Bhopal, Kolkata, and Delhi, targeting properties linked to politicians, bureaucrats, police officials, and key figures associated with the Mahadev Betting App.
On 26 March, the CBI conducted a 14-hour search at the residence of Bhupesh Baghel, confiscating three mobile phones.
Speaking to the media, Baghel stated that the CBI's visit marked the second such search at his residence within a fortnight. He alleged that the raid was politically motivated, intended to create content for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech ahead of his visit on 30 March.
He questioned why the key accused, Saurabh Chandrakar, had not yet been arrested despite a lookout circular being issued.
“Fifteen days ago, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had already conducted a thorough raid. What more could the CBI uncover now?” he remarked. He further alleged that the agency had taken original documents from his residence without providing photocopies.
On 27 March, Baghel accused the central government of failing to take action against the Mahadev Betting App. At a press conference, he alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were shielding the app.
“Modi and Shah are giving patronage to the Mahadev Betting App. The government of India has made it clear that if anyone takes action against the app, they will face repercussions,” he alleged.
Baghel further claimed that crores of rupees in cash recovered from a vehicle belonged to a BJP leader.
The FIR, registered on 4 March, alleges that Mahadev Online Book is operating illegal betting services and facilitating related platforms such as ‘Skyexchange’, allegedly managed by Hari Shankar Tibrewal in association with Mahadev Online Book.
The complaint claims that the platform offers betting on various “live games” such as poker, card games, games of chance, and sports betting. The app gained prominence during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2019-2020.
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