Raipur : The shadow of Chhattisgarh’s infamous ₹6,000-crore Mahadev online betting scam has resurfaced, prompting swift action from the state police to prevent the emergence of a new organized betting syndicate. Acting on intelligence inputs from Kanker and Rajnandgaon districts, police headquarters moved quickly to disrupt the network at a nascent stage and suspended a serving head constable for alleged links to the racket.
The suspended officer, Vijay Kumar Pandey, a head constable posted in Kanker district, has once again come under scrutiny for his alleged role as a liaison between betting operators and elements within the police system. His name had earlier surfaced during investigations into the Mahadev online betting app scandal.
According to senior officials, credible intelligence suggested that a new online betting syndicate was attempting to take root in Rajnandgaon district. Inputs indicated that Pandey was in contact with certain State Police Service (SPS) officers recently transferred from Raipur to Rajnandgaon and was allegedly facilitating protection for betting operators in exchange for monthly payments.
Following these inputs, Kanker Superintendent of Police Nikhil Rakhecha issued immediate suspension orders against Pandey.
Officer Goes Incommunicado After Suspension
Soon after the suspension order was served, Vijay Kumar Pandey reportedly went incommunicado, triggering concern at police headquarters. The development has been taken seriously, with clear directives issued to both Kanker and Rajnandgaon police units.
Kanker police have been asked to urgently clarify Pandey’s whereabouts and movement, while Rajnandgaon SP Ankita Sharma has been instructed to intensify ground-level monitoring and remain on high alert. Police headquarters has also directed that a criminal case be registered immediately if formal complaints or corroborative evidence emerge against the suspended officer.
Past Links to Mahadev Betting Network
Pandey’s name had earlier appeared during parallel investigations conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the state’s Economic Offences Wing and Anti-Corruption Bureau in connection with the Mahadev online betting app scam.
Investigators had flagged a controversial Dubai trip in 2021, during which Pandey allegedly met Mahadev app promoters Ravi Uppal and Saurabh Chandrakar. The visit reportedly took place without prior official approval and was later regularized through an “ex-post facto” permission, raising serious red flags.
At the time, Pandey was posted at the District Crime Records Bureau (DCRB), Kanker, and was reportedly attached to a senior officer based on oral instructions rather than written orders.
ED Statement Names Pandey as Key Link
The case gained further gravity after Pandey’s name appeared in a Section 50 statement recorded by the Enforcement Directorate on August 22, 2023. The statement, given by Chandrabhooshan Verma, a suspended assistant sub-inspector currently lodged in Raipur Central Jail, identified Pandey as part of a close-knit group that traveled to Dubai in 2021.
According to the statement, the group allegedly included Bhim Yadav, Arjun Yadav, and Sahdev Singh Yadav, and was involved in collecting large sums of cash from hawala operators in Nagpur and channeling the money to senior police officers as protection payments. The statement forms part of the ED’s first prosecution complaint filed before the special PMLA court as RUD-39.
Questions Over Ex-Post Facto Clearance
Investigators are also examining the role of police headquarters in granting retrospective approval for the foreign travel. Sources claim that the application seeking ex-post facto clearance was allegedly prepared by Chandrabhooshan Verma and was nevertheless recommended by the administrative branch of police headquarters and eventually approved—a process that continues to puzzle investigating agencies.
Central Agencies on Alert
Sources indicate that information regarding Pandey’s suspension and subsequent disappearance has been shared with central agencies. Senior officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate are coordinating with state police to trace Pandey and examine whether earlier investigations left critical gaps—particularly concerning senior officers who approved the disputed foreign travel.
The latest developments are being viewed as a possible continuation of unfinished threads in the Mahadev betting scam investigation, raising fresh questions about accountability, institutional oversight, and the re-emergence of organized betting networks in the state.