In a major development in the Mahadev betting app case, in which Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is accused of taking Rs 508 crore from the app promoters, the alleged courier arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has now backtracked and claimed that he never delivered cash to politicians.
The ‘courier’, Asim Das, on Friday, submitted before a special court in Raipur that he had been framed in the case as part of a conspiracy.
Courier Backtracks Statement
Das has also written a letter from the jail to ED Director, and sent its copies to higher authorities including the Prime Minister’s Office on November 17 stating that he was being implicated in the case and the central investigating agency forced him to sign a statement in English, a language he does not understand, Das’s lawyer Shoaib Alvi told news agency PTI.
Das has also urged the court to admit the letter as part of the case record, the lawyer added.
In his letter, Das claimed that he had visited Dubai twice in October this year after being called by Shubham Soni, a childhood friend, adding that the trips were arranged by Soni himself.
Soni is one of the key accused in the case, as per the ED.
As per Das’s letter, Soni wanted to start a construction business in Chhattisgarh and had asked the former to work for him, promising to arrange money for the business.
The lawyer said that on the day he was arrested, Das was asked to pick up a car parked in the parking lot of the Raipur airport (after landing at the airport) and check into a hotel on the VIP road in Raipur. Later he was asked to park on the road where a person put bags of cash in the car and left.
“I was asked over the phone to go back to my hotel room and after some time ED officials came to my room and took me with them. Later, I realized that I am being implicated. I have never supplied money or any other assistance to any political leaders or workers,” Das claimed in the letter.
The Case
Asim Das and constable Bhim Singh Yadav were arrested by the ED on November 3, four days before the first phase of the Chhattisgarh assembly elections. The duo were produced before Ajay Singh Rajput, a special judge for Prevention of Money Laundering Act cases, upon expiry of their judicial remand on Friday, which was again extended for seven days.
Meanwhile, the ED on November 3 claimed that forensic analysis and a statement made by ‘cash courier’ Das had led to “startling allegations” that Mahadev betting app promoters had paid about Rs 508 crore to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, and “these are subject matter of investigation”.
Das was arrested in Raipur after Rs 5.39 crore in cash were found in his possession, the ED said, adding that he had been sent by the app promoters from the UAE to deliver a large amount of cash for electioneering expenses of the ruling Congress Party.
“Das has admitted that the seized funds were arranged by the Mahadev app promoters to be delivered to one politician ‘Baghel’ for upcoming election expenses in state of Chhattisgarh,” the agency alleged in a statement.
Chief Minister Baghel denied the allegation and accused the BJP of misusing the ED as it anticipated defeat in the elections.