CBI Searches 60 Locations In Mahadev Betting Scam; Ex-CM Bhupesh Baghel, Top Bureaucrats & IPS Officers Under Scanner

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday conducted extensive searches at 60 locations across Chhattisgarh, Bhopal, Kolkata, and Delhi as part of its probe into the Mahadev Online Book betting network. The raids targeted politicians, senior bureaucrats, police officers, key functionaries of Mahadev Book, and other private individuals suspected of involvement in the case.

The CBI investigation team, led by 2009-batch IPS officer Abhinav Khare, carried out synchronized raids across multiple districts of Chhattisgarh. According to an official statement, the searches led to the seizure of incriminating digital and documentary evidence, which is now under examination.

Among those under scrutiny were former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, his two Officers on Special Duty (OSDs), and several senior IAS, IPS officers suspected of shielding the Mahadev betting network.

Prior to the raids, the CBI investigators visited Raipur Central Jail to interrogate ASI Chandrabhusan Verma, whose confessional statement reportedly provided critical insights into the inner workings of the betting syndicate. “All individuals named by Verma to the ED have now been covered in today’s CBI operations,” confirmed another official involved in the investigation.

The raids come after a detailed examination of multiple Relied Upon Documents (RUDs) included in prosecution complaints(PC) filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which urged state police to act against the implicated officials. “Despite ample grounds, EOW failed to act, and this led to the CBI’s intervention,” said a senior official.

The CBI Searches targeted several key locations, including former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel residence in Raipur and Bhilai, Bhilai MLA Devendra Yadav Sector-5 residence, and the residences of senior IPS officers such as IG Dr. Anand Chhabra (Training) and IG Shaikh Arif Husen (CAF Surguja Zone). Other premises raided included those of DIG CAF Prashant Agrawal (Kanker), SP Dr. Abhishek Pallava (Police Academy Chandrakhuri, Raipur), ASP Abhishek Maheshwari (Sukma, Camp Jagargunda) in Raipur and Dongargarh, as well as ASP Sanjay Dhruv (Bijapur, Camp Basaguda) at his Bhilai residence.

Additional raids were carried out at the Katora Talab residence of jailed IAS officer Anil Tuteja, the residences of former CM OSDs Ashish Verma and Manish Banchhor, former advisor Vinod Verma, and other associates including Dr. Suraj Kumar Kashyap and KPS Group director Prashant Tripathi. Multiple premises linked to jailed aides Soumya Chaurasia, Amit Dubey, Sahdev Yadav, and Arjun Yadav were also searched.

The search at Baghel’s residence occurred just hours before he was scheduled to leave for a Congress meeting in Delhi. Reacting to the raids, his office posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Now CBI has come. Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is scheduled to go to Delhi today for the meeting of the Drafting Committee constituted for the AICC meeting in Ahmedabad on April 8 and 9. Even before that, CBI has reached Raipur and Bhilai residence.”

ED in a supplementary chargesheet filed in a Raipur court dated January 2024 alleged, ” one of the promoters of Mahadev App (accused) Shubman Soni that regular bribe payments have been made in the past so far around Rs 508 crores have been paid to (then) Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel.”

Congress and Bhupesh Baghel had denied all the charges.

The CBI case revolves around the illegal operations of Mahadev Online Book, an online betting platform promoted by Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal. According to an official CBI statement, the duo, currently based in Dubai, allegedly paid hefty sums as “protection money” to public servants to ensure the uninterrupted operation of their illegal betting empire.

The CBI took over the Mahadev betting scam probe following a request from the Chhattisgarh government in August 2024. The agency has consolidated 77 FIRs, including one naming former CM Bhupesh Baghel as an accused. The investigation aims to uncover the role of senior public officials and other individuals linked to the illegal betting network.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is also investigating the case, has estimated that Mahadev Online Book promoters generated over Rs 6,000 crore in illegal proceeds. As of December 2024, the ED had attached assets worth Rs 2,295.61 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The Free Press Journal has accessed the statement of arrested assistant sub-inspector Chandra Bhushan Verma from the State Intelligence Bureau. During the ED investigation, Verma revealed that Mahadev app promoters Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal paid protection money to top police officials, administrative officers, and politicians to evade legal action. Verma allegedly facilitated the transfer of these funds through the hawala network. According to his statement to the ED, senior officials in Chhattisgarh received monthly payments between November 2021 and June 2023.

As part of its ongoing probe, the CBI is currently interrogating IPS officer Abhishek Pallav at his residence in Bhilai. Pallav was about to leave for duty when the CBI team arrived, conducted the search operation, and stopped him inside his house.

Additionally, the CBI conducted search operations at the residences of senior IPS officers Arif Sheikh and Anand Chhabra, who are allegedly suspected of receiving funds in exchange for protecting the illegal betting operations. Sources reveal that Anand Chhabra, a 2001-batch officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre, allegedly shared a close relationship with the family of fugitive betting kingpin Ravi Uppal. Both Chhabra and Uppal’s daughters attended Delhi Public School in Risali, Bhilai, with both now pursuing higher education in London. Further raising red flags, a secret meeting between Chhabra and Uppal in London in mid-2023 has come under intense scrutiny. Anand Chabra are suspected of receiving funds in exchange for protecting the illegal betting operations.

According to Verma’s statement, Sanjay Dhruv, Additional SP in Bijapur (formerly in Durg), allegedly received Rs 25 lakh per month, while IPS Prashant Agrawal, former SSP of Raipur and head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau and Economic Offences Wing (EOW), allegedly received Rs 20 lakh per month during the same period.

CBI teams are also conducting searches at the residences of constables Radhakant Pandey and Sandeep Dixit in Raipur. The search operations are still ongoing.

In Delhi, Kolkata, and Bhopal, the CBI teams targeted locations linked to the Mahadev betting money trail, including Cryptocurrency Network, Hawala fund transfers, Shell companies, and Other illicit financial structures. The probe has revealed the deep political and bureaucratic protection provided to the Mahadev betting syndicate. The CBI is now intensifying its scrutiny on high-ranking officials who allegedly played a role in facilitating the betting empire’s illegal operations.