The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s residence on Wednesday. The agency also searched several other locations in connection with the ₹6,000 crore Mahadev online betting app case. This action came two months after the CBI registered a corruption case based on a request from the Chhattisgarh government.
The CBI is investigating a larger conspiracy behind the illegal betting syndicate. It consolidated 77 FIRs from various police stations and the state’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) before registering a formal case in January 2025. Baghel became a key target after being named as an accused in an FIR filed by Chhattisgarh Police on March 4, 2024. This FIR, now under the CBI’s control, also named Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, the fugitive Mahadev app founders. The agency is working with the United Arab Emirates to extradite them.
Baghel has denied all allegations. He accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of falsely implicating him. The BJP took power in Chhattisgarh in December 2023, and by August 2024, it had recommended a CBI probe into the Mahadev case. The CBI then spent months consolidating evidence, including FIRs and charge sheets, before officially opening its investigation.
According to the EOW’s July 2024 charge sheet, the Mahadev app remained operational while bribing officials and political figures to avoid legal action. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), conducting a parallel money-laundering probe, alleged that Chandrakar and Uppal paid ₹508 crore in bribes to Baghel. The Chhattisgarh Police’s FIR against Baghel originated from an ED reference.
The Mahadev app, which began in 2018, allowed users to place illegal bets on cricket, poker, and even Indian elections. Chandrakar and Uppal allegedly ran the betting empire remotely, earning ₹240 crore daily from over 3,200 betting panels across different cities. In its January 2024 charge sheet, the ED revealed that the promoters rented 20 villas in Dubai to house 3,500 staff members.
So far, the ED has filed two charge sheets against key figures, including Chandrakar and Uppal. It estimated the total proceeds of crime at ₹6,000 crore and has attached, seized, or frozen assets worth ₹2,426 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The CBI’s latest raids mark an escalation in the investigation as authorities pursue those behind the massive illegal betting operation.
