Man emerges as 'real owner' of Mahadev app, alleges paying ₹508 crore to CM Baghel

The controversy around the Mahadev Betting App scam has snowballed into a political battle ever since Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel's name cropped up. In Republic's explosive sting operation, several key characters in the case revealed the involvement of high-ranking police officials and politicians of the highest level.

Republic has now divulged sensational new details in the case of the alleged 'main man' Shubham Soni who claims to be the real owner of the app.

In the exclusive footage accessed by Republic, the man claiming to be Shubham Soni explicitly said that he has "the blessings of the CM," and claimed to have paid him Rs 450-500 crore. Last week, the Enforcement Directorate too alleged that CM Baghel was paid Rs 508 crore by the Mahadev app promoters.

On November 3, the agency also intercepted and seized Rs 5.39 crore in cash during a crackdown on the money laundering networks linked with the Mahadev app. 

I am the real owner, I have the papers: Shubham Soni

In the exclusive Republic sting footage, the man said that he is the real owner of the Mahadev app and has documents to prove it.

"I am the owner of the Mahadev book app. All the documents are with me. I have been working hard on this for 4 years now. I have made the App reach heights," Soni said.

When asked why no one is taking his name and about the arrests made after the lavish wedding of Chandrakar in Dubai, he replied, "First thing, you need not connect the wedding to the Mahadev book. I am telling you, I used the wedding for the promotion. My work was done."

According to the investigators, Chandrakar spent more than Rs 250 crore on his wedding in February this year and many Bollywood celebrities were invited to perform at the event.

He went on to claim that he has the "blessings of a man" and that no one can arrest his associates. "Panel members cannot be caught. I have the blessing of a man, I have also met him, and he is the one who has been protecting me. So the panel members cannot be caught. If they are arrested in the morning, they will be released by evening," he said.

When asked whose blessings he had, he mentioned the Chief Minister whom he referred to as "Kaka Sahib."

"There is just one man, Our Kaka Sahib, who else? Our Chief Minister," Soni said. He alleged that the now-arrested ASI Chandrabhushan Verma and one Girish Tiwari arranged his meeting with the CM and that is how he got involved.

When asked why would the CM support this, he replied, "For money. What else? Do you want to know how much I gave him (the CM)? Around 450-500 crores and only then I got his blessings," he said.

Shubham Soni seeks government's help

In another video, Soni confessed to meeting the CM through government officials and alleged that it was Baghel who advised him to shift his operations to Dubai.

"In September 2022, I came to Dubai. This is after I met the Chief Minister and he asked me to grow the operations in Dubai," Soni said.

He claimed that he met with accused Chandrakar and Uppal from Bhilai after he met with the CM. "They were in the construction business so I joined them and hired them as my advisors for construction," he said.

"I started the book from zero, I established it and made it reach heights, but they (Chandrakar and Uppal) started getting all the fame. They did not have the blessings of the CM thus they became famous. It hurts me a lot," he further said.

Soni went on to allege that the CM switches sides very often and showed his dissatisfaction with the 'disturbance' in his work "despite paying so much money."

"I have paid Rs 508 crore to Baghel Ji and his men and still there is so much disturbance in my work," he further said.

Soni also said that he is "stuck in the political system," and expressed his desire to return to India.

"I want to get out of this political system. I have evidence of every transaction. I just want to go back to India. I request the Indian government to help me," he stated.