Chhattisgarh: Baghel calls him ‘whistle-blower’ in Mahadev online betting scam, terms CBI action against him a political conspiracy
Mr. Baghel said that his government had then brought an amendment to the gambling Act in the state Assembly to put restrictions on online betting
Raipur: Former chief minister and AICC general secretary in-charge of party affairs in Punjab Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday claimed that he was the ‘whistle-blower’ in the Mahadev online betting scam and accused the BJP of falsely implicating him in the case by orchestrating CBI raids against him.
A day after the CBI conducted searches in his houses in Bhilai and Raipur in connection with the alleged scam, Mr. Baghel detailed before the reporters here how he had promptly taken action after the Mahadev online betting scam came to light in March 2022 when he was the chief minister.
The issue first cropped up in the SP-collector meeting when he was the chief minister and he promptly ordered a FIR registered in the case in March 2022, he said.
Seventy-four cases were registered and more than 200 people were arrested following this.
Besides, more than 1,000 bank accounts were seized in this connection, he said.
“In a way, I am the whistle-blower in the Mahadev online betting scam. But I am being victimized by the Centre by way of CBI raids in my houses in the case”, he said.
Mr. Baghel said that his government had then brought an amendment to the gambling Act in the state Assembly to put restrictions on online betting.
He had also then taken the initiative to remove the Mahadev online APP from the Google Play Store then.
Mr. Baghel said that his government had then written to the Centre, assuring cooperation to ensure arrest of the promoters of the betting App following which the Union home ministry had issued a lookout notice in June 2023.
He said that the economic offence wing of Chhattisgarh police had failed to establish his link to the scam after BJP came to power in the state and then the case was handed over to CBI for probe.
Now, his houses were raided by the CBI, he said.
“Had I been involved in the scam, why should I have taken action in the matter in the first place”, he said.
He called the CBI raids against him a political conspiracy by the BJP to frame him in the case.
He accused the Centre of shielding the promoters of the online betting App by not taking any action to arrest them.
