CBI Raids Former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel’s Residence in Mahadev Satta App Case

Raipur

On Wednesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted extensive raids across Chhattisgarh in connection with the Mahadev Satta online betting app case. The searches targeted over 50 locations, including the residences of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in Raipur and Bhilai. During the raid at Baghel’s Raipur residence, he greeted his supporters outside while the CBI team conducted their investigation inside.

The CBI’s action extended to several other individuals, including Congress MLA Devendra Yadav, whose residence in Bhilai was also searched. Raids were reportedly carried out at the homes of four IPS officers: Anand Chhabra, Abhishek Pallav, Arif Sheikh, and Prashant Agrawal, located in Raipur and Bhilai. Additionally, the CBI searched the residences of ASP Sanjay Dhruv and two police constables, Nakul and Sahadev, in Bhilai, as well as the home of KPS School operator Nishant Tripathi.

According to the report, the raids began early Wednesday morning, with over ten CBI teams departing from Raipur. At Bhupesh Baghel’s residences, family members were asked to remain inside. Supporters of the former Chief Minister gathered outside his Raipur and Bhilai homes, protesting the CBI’s actions and reportedly clashing with the police. In Bhilai, MLA Devendra Yadav’s mother initially resisted the CBI team’s entry into their house.

The CBI team reportedly stopped IPS officer Abhishek Pallav at his Bhilai residence before he could leave for duty and conducted questioning there. In Raipur, the residence of IPS officer Abhishek Maheshwari was found unoccupied and subsequently sealed by the CBI. Raids were also conducted at the Raipur residences of constables Radhakant Pandey and Sandeep Dixit. In Bhilai, the CBI team had to break the lock to enter the residence of Manish Banchhor, former OSD to Bhupesh Baghel, who was away with his family.

This CBI action follows a previous raid by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at Bhupesh Baghel’s residence just before Holi, where approximately ₹33 lakh and some documents, including a pen drive related to the Manturam case, were seized.

The Mahadev Satta app case involves allegations of illegal online betting operations, with over 70 FIRs registered in Chhattisgarh leading to the arrest of more than 300 individuals and the freezing of over 3,000 bank accounts with crores of rupees in transactions. Investigations revealed that Saurabh Chandrakar, based in Bhilai and operating from Dubai with associates, is the alleged kingpin of the syndicate that reportedly earns Rs 450 crore monthly. The first FIR in this case was registered on March 31, 2022, in Mohan Nagar.