The IT ministry on Sunday issued a blocking order against Mahadev Book Online, and other 21 betting apps and websites amid the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) probe into the Mahadev betting app case. The order was issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act after ED’s recommendation.

The minister of state for IT Rajeev Chandrashekhar in a statement said, “Chhattisgarh Government had all the power to recommend shutting down of website/app under Sec 69A IT Act. However, they did not do so and no such request was made by the State Government while they have been investigating it for the last 1.5 years. In fact, the first and only request has been received from ED and it has been acted upon. Nothing prevented the Chhattisgarh Government from making similar requests.”

Notably, the owners of Mahadev Book were arrested in August this year under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Last week, the ED claimed that Mahadev betting app promoters have paid about ₹508 crore to Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel citing a forensic analysis and a statement made by a ‘cash courier’. This came a day after the probe agency conducted raids in the state against the money laundering networks linked with the Mahadev online betting app.

According to ED, it successfully intercepted a cash courier identified as Asim Das, who had allegedly been sent from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the specific mission of delivering a significant sum of cash. During Das’ interrogation, he confessed that the intercepted funds were arranged by the promoters of the Mahadev betting app for the purpose of delivering them to a prominent politician known as ‘Baghel’ to support upcoming election expenses in the state.

Meanwhile, Baghel said that ED’s probe is a “political attempt to defame” the Congress government in the state.