The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) descended on the residences of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in Raipur and Bhilai on Wednesday, intensifying its investigation into the alleged ₹6,000 crore Mahadev online betting app scam.

The agency also searched the homes of a senior police officer and a close associate, signaling a widening probe into the scandal that has rocked the state’s political and bureaucratic circles.

The CBI assumed control of the case from Chhattisgarh’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW), which had previously named Baghel, a prominent Congress leader, alongside Mahadev app promoters Ravi Uppal, Saurabh Chandrakar, Shubham Soni, Anil Kumar Agrawal, and 14 others in its FIR—a move Baghel branded “politically motivated.”

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), also investigating, has alleged the involvement of top Chhattisgarh politicians and bureaucrats, claiming the app served as a syndicate for illegal betting platforms, laundering money through a complex network of ‘benami’ accounts. The ED estimates the proceeds of crime at ₹6,000 crore.

The raids coincide with Baghel’s scheduled trip to Delhi for a Congress meeting, prompting accusations of targeted timing from his camp.

Neither agency has detailed the searches’ specifics, but the Mahadev case—transferred to the CBI by the state government in 2024—continues to unravel a web of alleged corruption, amplifying political tensions as Baghel and his allies decry what they call a vendetta by the ruling BJP.