Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who was recently accused of receiving Rs 508 crore in the Mahadev betting app case, has been vindicated as the alleged courier, Asim Das, has now retracted his statement. Das, who was arrested with over Rs 5 crore in cash on November 3, just days before the Chhattisgarh assembly elections, claims that he never delivered cash to politicians and has been wrongly implicated.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), in its investigation, had initially stated that Das had confessed to being a courier and had alleged that the promoters of the Mahadev Betting app had made payments of Rs 508 crore to Baghel. However, Das, in a letter written from jail to the Director of ED, asserts that he was coerced into signing a statement in English, a language he does not understand, and denies making any such allegations.
According to Das, the mastermind behind the illegal app, Shubham Soni, is his childhood friend. He reveals that Soni had requested him to work for him and promised to arrange money for a construction business in Chhattisgarh. Das explains that upon his arrival at the Raipur airport, he was instructed to pick up a car and check into a hotel on VIP Road. Later, someone placed bags of cash in the vehicle, and he was unaware of their contents. Shortly after, Das was taken into custody by ED officials, only to realize that he was being framed.
In addition to Baghel, other politicians, police officers, and bureaucrats were previously implicated in the app’s illegal activities. The ED has also summoned Bollywood actors Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, who appeared in advertisements for the app, for questioning.
The retraction of Das’s statement raises questions about the credibility of the allegations against Baghel. The ED will likely conduct further investigations to determine the truth behind the Mahadev betting app case.
