New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS): In a major development ahead of the crucial Assembly elections, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday claimed that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was paid Rs 508 crore by the promoters of Mahadev Online Book promoters.

The ED said that it received credible inputs and conducted a successful search operations on November 2 in Chhattisgarh in which Rs 5.39 crore cash has been intercepted in the poll-bound state.

It said that on Thursday, ED received intelligence input that large amount of cash is being moved in Chhattisgarh by the promoters of Mahadev APP in relation to Assembly Elections scheduled on November 7 and 17.

"ED conducted searches at Hotel Triton and another location in Bhilai and successfully intercepted cash courier Asim Das who was sent from UAE especially, to deliver large amount of cash for electioneering expenses of the ruling Congress," it alleged

"ED has recovered cash amount of Rs 5.39 crore from his car and at his residence. 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 said.

"ED also discovered some benami bank accounts of Mahadev APP in which balance amounts of Rs 15.59 crore has been frozen. ED has arrested Das," it said.

The financial probe agency said: "From the questioning of Das, and from the forensic examination of the phone recovered from him, and examination of an email sent by Shubam Soni, one of the high ranking accused of Mahadev network, many startling allegations have come forth, namely, that regular payments have been made in the past and so far around Rs 508 crore have been paid by Mahadev APP promoters to Baghel."

"These are subject matter of investigation," the ED said.

Das was the conduit to receive bribe money from Mahadev APP promoters for the benefit of senior officers and politicians of Chhattisgarh. Both the accused persons were produced before the PMLA Special Judge Raipur and ED has sought their custodial interrogation to independently corroborate their admissions and to trace evidence of money laundering. The court has sent them to ED custody for seven days.

The ED is probing Mahadev Book Online Betting APP syndicate in which the promoters of this betting syndicate are sitting abroad and remotely running thousands of panels across India with the help of their friends and associates who are mainly from Chhattisgarh and have earned thousands of crore of proceeds of crime.

It has already arrested four accused persons and seized proceeds of crime worth more than Rs 450 crore and has filed a prosecution complaint against 14 accused persons.

"During further investigation, ED has also questioned and arrested Police constable Bheem Yadav. ED investigation has revealed that in the last 3 years, Yadav had unauthorizedly travelled to Dubai, admittedly met Ravi Uppal and Sourabh Chandrakar, participated in the gala functions of Mahadev APP, and his travel expenses were borne by Rapid Travels of Ahuja Brothers - a money laundering and ticketing company of Mahadev APP," the agency added.