CBI begins probe into Mahadev Satta app case
Raipur | Correspondent: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the probe into the high-profile Mahadev Satta App case in Chhattisgarh.
A special team from the CBI has been dispatched from Delhi to lead the investigation.
Previously, the case was being handled by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Economic Offences Wing (EOW).
Upon arrival of the CBI team, the ED and EOW promptly handed oves the case files to them. The CBI has since commenced a confidential inquiry.
Reports suggest that the CBI is now preparing to raid the residences of certain officials and political figures alleged to have received commissions and protection money to facilitate the operations of the Mahadev Satta App.
Despite its significance, no significant action has been taken in the Mahadev Satta App case to date.
The efforts of the police, ED, and EOW were limited to targeting the app’s operational managers. This lack of progress prompted the government to transfer the investigation to the CBI.
It has been alleged that influential officials and senior leaders of the previous government accepted up to ₹1 crore monthly as “protection money” to ensure the smooth functioning of the app.
This claim was made by one of the app’s promoters through a video released from Dubai.
Evidence of these claims also surfaced during IT raids and in ED reports, yet no arrests have been made involving high-ranking officials or political leaders.
Lack of Arrests Among Prominent Figures
The ED had registered an ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) in this case in 2022, naming betting promoters Saurabh Chandrakar, Ravi Uppal, Shubham Soni, and Atul Agarwal as accused.
Subsequently, the ED launched its investigation, leading to the arrests of several police personnel, hawala operators, and investors.
However, despite the names of several prominent officials and politicians being included in the charge sheet, no arrests were made.
When the BJP government came to power, it ordered a fresh investigation into the Mahadev Satta App case.
The EOW registered an FIR on March 4, 2024, alleging hawala transactions and money laundering linked to the app.
The FIR named 19 individuals, including politicians, police officers, and bureaucrats.
So far, the EOW has arrested 14 individuals, while the ED has detained 11.
Online Betting in Surguja: 5 Arrested
In a related development, the police in Surguja district have arrested five individuals, including Sudhir Gupta, identified as a key figure in the betting network.
These individuals were allegedly linked to the Mahadev Satta App and were operating online betting activities from a residential property.
During the raid, the police recovered passbooks, ATM cards, and checkbooks from 15 banks.
Transactions worth over ₹100 crore have been identified, with more than ₹15 crore being traced to a single bank account.
On Monday, the Surguja police raided the residence of bookie Sudhir Gupta, arresting four individuals involved in betting on an Australia Club match.
Gupta initially managed to escape but was later apprehended.
The police seized ₹1.54 lakh in cash, 73 mobile phones, 234 ATM cards, 77 SIM cards, 78 checkbooks, 81 passbooks, eight barcode scanners, 13 original Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and photocopies of other identity documents.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Rahul Agarwal alias Vicky (Bilaspur Chowk, Ambikapur), Shrikant Agarwal (Mahamaya Road), Rahul Kumar Soni (Chandni Chowk, Ambikapur), and Arjun Gupta (Shikari Road).
The police have also recovered account books detailing online betting transactions, further advancing the investigation.
