CBI raids Bhupesh Baghel's residence in Mahadev betting app case
What's the story
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the house of former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel two months after it registered a corruption case in the Mahadev online betting app scandal on Wednesday. The CBI team raided both Raipur and Bhilai ahead of Baghel's scheduled departure to Delhi for a Congress meeting. His office confirmed the news in a tweet, "Now CBI has come...Even before that, CBI has reached Raipur and Bhilai residences."
ED investigation
Previous ED raids linked to liquor scam
Before the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate had also carried out raids on March 10 across 14 locations, including at Baghel's and his son Chaitanya's houses in an alleged liquor scam case. During the raids, the ED had seized ₹33 lakh in cash, which Baghel later explained was his earnings from farming, dairy activities, and family savings. The agency had alleged beneficiaries earned ₹2,100 crore in proceeds of crime in the liquor scam case.
Political implications
Baghel alleges political motive behind CBI raid
After the recent raid, Baghel claimed it was an attempt to stop him from participating in a major Congress meeting on April 8 and 9 in Ahmedabad. Sushil Anand Shukla, head of the State Congress' communication wing, also condemned the raid, claiming that neither the Congress nor the senior party leader was "scared." "First, the Enforcement Directorate was sent..and now, the CBI. This shows the BJP's fear. When the BJP fails to fight politically, it uses central agencies," he said.