The Hitavada Team UNDATED

 

 

THESE days, a strong veil of secrecy has enveloped the Raipur Zonal Office of Enforcement Directorate (RPZO-ED), State Economic Offences Investigation and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SEOIACB) in Chhattisgarh. A sudden eerie silence seems to have descended over these two agencies. None of the officials, irrespective of their ranks, is willing to be seen or heard and talk about anything relating to the probe into the illegal Mahadev Betting App Scam, when approached by mediapersons. But, the grapevine in corridors of power is abuzz with ‘loud whispers’ hinting that this silence is a fallout of allegations that‘the names of top bureaucrats and Police officials have conspicuously gone missing from the FIR No-06 in betting app scam’. ‘The Hitavada’ noticed a weird turn of events recently when it noticed that all the six FIRs registered by the State investigation agency between January 1 and March 31, 2024, and those recorded by other police stations across the State, were available for viewing on the Citizen Portal of the Chhattisgarh Police website (cgpolice.gov.in/CCTNS_Citiz en_Portal) till recently. Interestingly, a couple of days ago, all these FIRs vanished without a trace and all efforts to find them through desktops and mobile handsets yielded nothing except the display of ‘no results’ on the home page.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, another sensational revelation came from a highly knowledgeable source, accidentally admitting that the former team in SEOIACB had shared a press brief regarding a previous FIR dated March 4 through official channels in the State administration. This was meant to be delivered to all the mediapersons in Chhattisgarh. “We had followed the same procedure in the previous five FIRs regarding illegal coal levy, liquor, DMF and custom rice milling scams. I simply have no idea why this time, the press brief of betting app FIR did not reach out to the media,” the source quipped. Another senior official denied in totality that any press brief was ever shared by the previous team of SEOI ACB in connection with the FIR lodged in the Mahadev App scam. “Ironically, the only thing, which has now remained ‘secret’, is inexplicable reasons behind the mysterious disappearance of names of top bureaucrats/senior police officials fromthe 12-page long FIR No-6. All this, despite ED’s recommendations and assertions in their multiple confidential communiqués in November 2023; twice in January2024,againinFebruary and in March as well; that laid bare their sensationalfindings before SEOIACB,” another source exclaimed. Sources also stated that the allegation of ED against SEOI ACB for its failure to share the copy of FIR No-06/2024, stands no ground because it was officially sent through mail. “While the findings of the entire investigation by SEOIACB are currently in the preliminary stage and extremely sensitive by nature, it can be stated irrefutably that mis information has been deliberately propagated by certain vested interest individuals.

 

The date and time of mail sent to the federal agency are still intact, so claims could be easily proven,” the source revealed. As pointed by certain officials, it was this ‘secrecy’ factor that the media persons across the Chhattisgarh and elsewhere in thecountry came to know about the FIR No-06 only on March 16, almost 12 days after the FIR was lodged onMarch 4 at 8.30 pm and precisely 23 days after the meeting of the top BJP political functionary.It was during this period, the ‘Draft’ FIR No-05 also somehow got secretly leaked. Meanwhile, as per sources, one more central agency is keeping an eye on the proceedings in the betting app scam.“Even the leakedcopy of ‘Draft’FIRNo-5inthescamdated January 23rd came in the possession of a Delhi-based central agency. Field officers of this central agency are directly and indirectly in touch with certain individuals associated with the Mahadev betting App probe,” an officer confided. Another senior IPS officer also corroborated that the recently-exercised major reshufflein SEOI ACB on March 5 could be a consequence of this delay and/or absence of names of the top police officials and bureaucrats fromthe new FIR.TheState government