ED summons family of Chhattisgarh CM's advisor in multi-crore Mahadev online betting scam probe

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has called upon relatives of Vinod Verma, the political advisor to Chhattisgarh’s Chief Minister, Bhupesh Baghel, as part of its ongoing investigation into an alleged multi-crore scam involving the Mahadev Book online betting platform. On Wednesday, Verma tweeted, “The ED has now summoned my family. I have left both my sons, Punarvasu and Tathagat, and my brother-in-law Tukendra Varma at the ED’s office. Tomorrow, my wife Jaya has been called,” along with a family photo taken outside the ED office in the state capital. He added that no matter what actions the agencies take under the central government’s directives, they cannot dampen the spirit of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and his team. In the meantime, the ED has initiated the process of issuing a red corner notice against two operators of a Dubai-based betting platform who are believed to be the masterminds behind the Mahadev Book online gambling operation, which is suspected to have generated around Rs 5,000 crore. Saurabh Chandrakar (28) and Ravi Uppal (43), both hailing from Bhilai, a steel city, were reportedly conducting their operations from the Middle East. A special PMLA court in Raipur has issued arrest warrants for Chandrakar and Uppal in connection with the ongoing ED investigation, which is probing the Hawala case linked to the illegal Mahadev online betting app. The central agency conducted raids on August 22 and 23 at various locations, including the premises of the Chief Minister’s political advisor Vinod Verma and the Chief Minister’s two Officers on Special Duty (OSDs), as part of its investigation into the Mahadev book. The ED later issued a press release, alleging that a police assistant sub-inspector with significant connections played a key role and received substantial funds from the Dubai-based app promoters, which were then distributed among senior police officers and politicians associated with the Chief Minister’s Office as ‘protection money’. According to the ED, ASI Chandra Bhushan Verma has been arrested, along with hawala operators Anil Dammani and Sunil Dammani, based on FIRs registered by Chhattisgarh police. Other cases registered by Vishakhapatnam police and other states have also been taken into account. The ED’s investigation has revealed that ASI Verma received approximately Rs 65 crore in cash, keeping a portion for himself while distributing bribes to senior police officers and politicians. The ED’s release states, “ASI Verma has confessed before the ED that he received and paid substantial monthly bribes to numerous individuals. He acknowledged that bribe payments increased after police took certain actions in May 2022 to escalate the cases, expand them to non-bailable offenses, confine prosecution to local punters, and prevent future crackdowns on their operations. ASI Verma specifically identified high-ranking officials associated with the Chief Minister’s Office who regularly received significant kickbacks.”