Is Bhupesh Baghel linked to Mahadev betting app owner’s escape to Dubai?
The video is made by the accused Shubham Soni is wanted by the Enforcement Directorate for money laundering
A new twist has appeared in the already twisted Mahadev Betting app case where a video made by Shubham Soni, who claims to be the owner of the app and is wanted by the ED has popped up where he claims that he has the blessings of the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and that it was him who advised the accused to go to the UAE.
“As the business gained momentum, we started facing legal trouble. Hence, we were in dire need of protection. Then, I came to know about Verma. I had a meeting with him. Then hafta-vasooli began on a daily basis. Then every month I started giving Rs 10 lakh to Verma, and our work began to flourish,” Shubham confessed in the video.
“However, even after doing all this, we again started facing legal trouble. I again contacted Verma and he said that he would do something. He said that there is some issue and a meeting with another person has to be set up now. I agreed to it and went to Raipur where I met Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Bittu,” the alleged app owner claimed.
He further said that he had given details of the meeting about the deal and other things in the written statement. “After instructions from Bhupesh Baghel, I came to Dubai in September 2020. I expanded my business with two people in Dubai. The business was doing well. I met Sourabh and Ravi in Dubai, both were from my native place; Bhilai. They had construction work ongoing in Dubai. I hired them as my personal advisors because their construction business was doing well,” he said.
The Mahadev Betting App case is related to money laundering and use of illegal funds during elections. This comes in as Chhattisgarh is gearing up for the state assembly elections. Recently, ED had seized Rs 5.39 crores from Asim Das, a courier who claimed that the money was sent from Dubai for Bhupesh Baghel. Several benami bank accounts have also been discovered recently and a staggering Rs 15.59 crores have been frozen.
After the questioning of Asim Das, the forensic examination of his cellphone and the examination of an e-mail sent by Shubham Soni, it has been found that “regular payments have been made in the past and so far around ₹ 508 Crore have been paid by Mahadev App promoters to Bhupesh Baghel, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh,” sources said.
You might also be intersted in – How Mahadev betting app kingpins went from juice & tyre shops to earning ₹200 crore per day
