The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at the residence of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel today in connection with the alleged Rs 6,000 crore Mahadev app scam.

The agency teams swooped down on Baghel’s residences in Raipur and Bhilai. CBI teams also raided the premises of seven police officers, including four IPS, along with the houses of some former IAS and close associates of the former Chief Minister. CBI today conducted searches at about 20 premises in various cities of Chhattisgarh.

The CBI has taken over the investigation from the Economic Offences Wing of the Chhattisgarh Police, which had earlier named Congress leader Baghel, promoters of the app, Ravi Uppal, Saurabh Chandrakar, Shubham Soni, Anil Kumar Agrawal, and 14 others in its FIR.

The Enforcement Directorate, which is also probing the case, has alleged that its probe revealed the involvement of several top politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh.

The app was an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for illegal betting websites to enrol new users, create user IDs and launder money through a layered web of ‘benami’ bank accounts. According to the ED, the projected proceeds of crime are about Rs 6,000 crore.