Raipur:  The Chhattisgarh Police have taken a significant step by naming former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel as an accused in the Mahadev Online Book app scam, estimated at a staggering ₹6,000 crore. This development potentially spells legal trouble for the Congress leader just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Baghel faces charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including cheating, criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, and forgery, along with sections 7 and 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in Raipur filed a First Information Report (FIR) against him on March 4. Apart from Baghel, the FIR also names Mahadev promoters Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, along with 16 other accused individuals. Additionally, unnamed bureaucrats, police officers, and officers on special duty (OSDs) during Baghel's tenure as CM are also implicated. A copy of the FIR has been reviewed by HT.

Sources reveal that the case against Baghel was filed following references from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on January 8 and 30 this year. The ED's findings suggested the involvement of top-level state government functionaries in allowing illegal activities by Mahadev, allegedly in exchange for "protection money". In November 2023, the ED alleged that Chandrakar and Uppal paid bribes totaling ₹508 crore to Baghel. Both individuals are currently detained in a UAE facility, with extradition requests already sent through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The FIR outlines how Mahadev Book App promoters allegedly paid substantial amounts of protection money to various officials to evade police action on their illicit activities. The money was funneled through hawala operators to reach police, administrative officers, senior police officers, and influential political figures. Despite these claims, the FIR refrains from naming specific senior police or administrative officers.

Sources suggest that the ED may initiate a fresh money laundering case against Baghel based on the details in the FIR. Having suffered defeat in the assembly elections in December, Baghel is gearing up to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Rajnandgaon seat.

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