Vinod Verma, the political advisor to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, was allegedly implicated in an illegal internet betting case, according to allegations made by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday. The ED searched eleven individuals’ homes earlier in the day, including Vinod Verma.
Four people were detained by the investigation agency, including ASI Chandrabhushan Verma, who was accused of being involved in the money laundering case involving the Mahadev app.
Also detained were hawala operators Satish Chandrakar, Anil Dammani, and Sunil Dammani. Residents of Raipur make up those detained.
‘ED officials produced them before a special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court. The court granted six-day custody of the accused to the ED,’ said the agency’s lawyer Saurabh Pandey.
A money laundering probe had been opened by the ED based on FIRs that the Chhattisgarh Police had filed. Other FIRs filed by various state police were subsequently included in the probe.
Bhupesh Baghel tweeted, ‘Respected Prime Minister and Mr. Amit Shah!,’ making fun of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Thank you so much for sending an ED to my political advisor and my close friends, including my OSD, as a valuable birthday gift for me.
According to the ED, ASI Chandrabhushan Verma and Satish Chandrakar received large sums of money from Mahadev Online Book promoters based in Dubai and distributed those funds as ‘protection money’ to senior police officers and politicians with ties to the Chief Minister’s Office.
According to the ED, ASI Chandrabhushan Verma received almost Rs 65 crore in cash. He kept his share and gave bribes to powerful politicians and police officers.
‘The ED investigation has revealed that although ASI Chandrabhushan Verma is not a very senior officer in the police, through his relationship with Vinod Verma, the political advisor to Chhattisgarh CM, and with the help of money received from kickbacks sent by Ravi Uppal in Dubai, he has managed to influence senior officers,’ the ED said.
In order to weaken the charges, add non-bailable offences, limit prosecution to local gamblers, and stop further action on their operations, the bribes allegedly had to be increased.
‘Further, the arrested accused have specifically named high ranking officials connected to the CMO who have received hefty kickbacks on a monthly/regular basis,’ the ED added.
The Mahadev online book application serves as a venue for illegitimate bets on many live sports and games, including poker, card games, cricket, badminton, tennis, and football.
The app’s main promoters, Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, are from Bhilai, and they operate out of Dubai.
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