Shubham Soni (Mahadev App) Age, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Shubham Soni

• Shubham Soni is the alleged owner of the Mahadev Online Book App who made headlines in 2023 when he claimed to have links with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

• He hails from Bhilai, Chhattisgarh.

• Around 2021, he moved to Dubai, UAE, to expand his gambling business.

• In a self-made video, in 2023, Soni confessed that he was the owner of the Mahadev Online Book App and made a sensational claim that he paid Rs 508 crore to Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel as protection money. The app is an umbrella syndicate that provides an online platform for illegal betting websites to enrol new users, create user IDs, and engage in money laundering through a complex network of Benami bank accounts. Users bet in a range of activities ranging from election results to games such as poker, card games and cricket. According to the video, Soni founded the app in 2021. As his business grew, he started facing various legal troubles. Soni approached Baghel’s political advisor Vinod Verma to ask for help regarding the arrest of his associates in Bhilai. Thereafter, Soni started paying protection money to Verma every month. Later, he made acquaintance with Baghel who encouraged him to expand his gambling business to Dubai. In the video, Soni said,
  

  I started the app in 2021, and my gambling business in Bhilai was doing well. It started small but grew bigger, and we had more money. People started to notice. When my friends got into trouble, I started paying Verma ji (Vinod Verma) Rs 10 lakh every month for protection…Things went smoothly for a while, but then my friends got into trouble again. I met with Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Vinod Verma, and they told me to expand my business to Dubai”

• Although his gambling business was going well in Dubai, his associates were still getting arrested in Bhilai. Hence, he came back to Chhattisgarh and spoke to Bhagel who then demanded Rs 508 crore from him. Soni claimed that Baghel’s son Bittu was also involved in the racket. Soni said that he was “trapped in this political system” and wanted to return to India, but he was “scared.”

• BJP’s central media convener Siddharthnath Singh released Soni’s video at a press conference. Baghel denied having ties with Soni and said that the video was released by the BJP just before polling for electoral gains

• Later, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested a cash courier Asim Das who confessed to delivering large amounts of cash to the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh for electioneering expenses. The ED said that it had recovered cash worth Rs 5.39 crore from Asim.

• Apart from Shubham Soni, the key accused in the case were Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, promoters of the app.

• He occasionally smokes hookah. ^[1]Times Now – YouTube

• He has two tattoos, one on each of his biceps.