RAIPUR: An alleged courier arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Mahadev betting app case on Friday submitted before a special court that he had been framed up as part of a conspiracy and he had never delivered cash to politicians.Asim Das, the alleged cash courier, and constable Bhim Singh Yadav were arrested by the ED on November 3, four days before the first phase of the Chhattisgarh assemblyelections.The duo were on Friday produced beforeAjay Singh Rajput, a special judge for Prevention of Money Laundering Act cases, upon expiry of their judicial remand, Dass lawyer Shoaib Alvi told PTI.
The court extended their judicial custody for seven days, he added.Das had written a letter from the jail to the ED director and also sent copies to higher authorities, including the PMO, on November 17 stating that he was being implicated in the case and the central investigating agency forced him to sign a statement in English, a language he does not understand, Alvi said.
He urged the court to admit the letter as part of the case record, the lawyer added.
Das said that he had visited Dubai twice in October this year after being called by Shubham Soni, a childhood friend.
The trips were arranged by Soni, he said.
Soni is one of the key accused in the case, as per ED.Das said Soni wanted to start a construction business in Chhattisgarh and asked Das to work for him, promising to arrange money for the business.
On the day he was arrested, Das was asked to pick up a car parked in the parking lot of the Raipur airport and check into a hotel on the VIP road in Raipur.
Later, he was asked to park on the road where a person put bags of cash in the car and left, Alvi said.I was asked to go back to my hotel room and after some time ED officials came to my room and took me with them, Das claimed in the letter.
Later, I realized that I am being implicated.
I have never supplied money or any other assistance to any political leaders or workers, said Das.