The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday conducted searches at the residences of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in Raipur and Bhilai. The raids also extended to the premises of a senior police officer and a close associate of Baghel. The searches are linked to the alleged ₹6,000 crore Mahadev Online Book app scam, in which Baghel has been named as an accused. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) registered an FIR on March 4, 2024, charging him with cheating, criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, and forgery under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Alongside Baghel, Mahadev app promoters Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, along with 16 other named individuals and several unnamed bureaucrats, police officers, and officers on special duty (OSDs) during his tenure, have been implicated. Baghel previously dismissed the FIR as "politically motivated." The CBI took over the case from the Chhattisgarh Police’s EOW in January 2025. This follows recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) searches at Baghel’s residence in connection with an alleged liquor scam. On March 10, the ED also searched multiple premises, including those linked to Baghel, as part of an investigation into his son, Chaitanya Baghel. Around 14-15 locations were raided in connection with the alleged liquor scam, which involves proceeds of crime exceeding ₹2,100 crore.

Bhupesh Baghel questions the CBI's timing: Responding to the CBI raids, Baghel’s office took to X (formerly Twitter), raising concerns about the timing of the searches, which coincided with his scheduled trip to Delhi. The post questioned why the CBI arrived at his Raipur and Bhilai residences just before he was set to attend a "Drafting Committee" meeting in Delhi for the upcoming AICC session in Ahmedabad on April 8 and 9. The post read: "Now CBI has come. Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is scheduled to go to Delhi today for the meeting of the 'Drafting Committee' constituted for the AICC meeting... Even before that, CBI has reached Raipur and Bhilai residence."

Disclaimer: This image is taken from PTI.