Asim Das, an accused in the Mahadev betting app case, who had purportedly claimed and later denied that he had been sent to “deliver” cash to former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, has retracted his denial, according to the Directorate of Enforcement (ED).
According to the ED’s submission to a Raipur court on January 1, that in a subsequent development, Mr. Das told it that he retracted his statement against Mr. Baghel “under influence” and believing it would help his case.
In its second prosecution complaint (charge sheet) filed before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Raipur, the Central agency told the court that Mr. Das had retracted from the above statement “under the influence of someone who arrived with his [Mr. Asim Das’s] advocate”. “This person gave him a pre-typed document and asked him to reproduce it in his handwriting. He didn’t know to whom the retraction was forwarded to and signed it, believing it would be beneficial to his case,” the ED told the court.
