Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday alleged that Ebix chairman Vikas Garg, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Rs 6,000 crore Mahadev betting app case, had links with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and was “getting protection from the party”. The BJP denied the allegation.Posting purported photographs of Garg with six senior BJP leaders on X, Baghel alleged Garg’s father was a former BJP MLA and that he was “receiving protection from the BJP”, but was arrested by the ED after the “syndicate’s top boss got furious over the irregularities committed by Vikas Garg in the spoils-sharing and activated their favoured ED, leading to Vikas Garg being nabbed”.“Why isn’t the Government of India taking action against Mahadev betting? Why is this app still running? How are its ads still popping up nonstop on social media? The operators of the Mahadev Betting App, who are sitting abroad, why hasn’t our “world guru” managed to bring them back to the country even today?” he claimed.Read | Rs 6,000-crore betting app case: Accused traced to Oman, ED seeks extraditionDenying Baghel’s allegations, state BJP spokesperson Vijayshankar Mishra said Garg has no connection with the BJP. “It appears Baghel believes people like Vikas Garg could be associated with the BJP, but that’s not true,” Mishra said. “Whether it is Vikas Garg or anyone else, no criminal will be spared”.In March 2024, Baghel was named an accused by the state Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in the Mahadev betting app case, which was transferred to the CBI later that year.Garg was arrested from his residence in Delhi. The ED produced him before a special PMLA court in Raipur on Wednesday, which remanded him to the agency’s custody for 10 days, officials said. ED counsel Sourabh Kumar Pande said the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court remanded Garg to ED custody until July 24.Responding to Baghel’s allegations outside a Raipur court, Garg denied any connection with the BJP. “Those are just photographs from events. I have nothing more to say,” he said.Story continues below this adGarg’s arrest comes weeks after the ED provisionally attached properties worth Rs 940.77 crore belonging to him, his family members and entities allegedly owned or controlled by him. The attached assets include residential properties, land parcels, equity shares and other securities.During the investigation, the ED found Garg had allegedly acquired a stake in EbixCash using funds suspected to have been generated from illegal betting.Jayprakash S Naidu is a Principal Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently serving as the state correspondent for Chhattisgarh. With an extensive career in frontline journalism, he reports on the political, security, and humanitarian landscape of Central India. Expertise and Experience Specialized Conflict Reporting: Jayprakash is a leading voice on the Maoist/Naxalite conflict in the Bastar region. His reporting provides a critical, ground-level view of: Internal Security: Tracking high-stakes encounters, surrender programs for senior Maoist leaders, and the establishment of security camps in formerly inaccessible "heartland" villages. Tribal Rights & Displacement: Investigative reporting on the identity and land struggles of thousands of displaced tribals fleeing conflict zones for neighboring states. Governance & Bureaucratic Analysis: He consistently monitors the evolution of Chhattisgarh as it marks 25 years of statehood, covering: Electoral Politics: Analyzing the shift in power between the BJP and Congress and the impact of regional tribal movements. Public Policy: Reporting on landmark infrastructure projects (e.g., mobile connectivity in remote zones) and judicial interventions, such as High Court rulings on civil and family law. Diverse Investigative Background: Prior to his current focus on Chhattisgarh, Jayprakash held reported from Maharashtra, where he specialized in: Crisis & Disaster Management: Notable for his extensive coverage of the Cyclone Tauktae barge tragedy (P-305) and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on frontline personnel. Legal & Human Rights: Investigative pieces for platforms like Article-14, focusing on police accountability and custodial deaths across India. Environmental & Social Justice: Authoritative reporting on the Hasdeo Aranya forest protests and the approval of major tiger reserves, highlighting the tension between industrial mining and environmental preservation. ... Read More Tags:Bhupesh Baghel