Hyderabad, June 1 (IANS) Intensifying its crackdown on online betting networks, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Telangana has arrested 11 accused in a pan-India operation, dismantling an illegal betting network linked to Dafabet.

The CID, which conducted operations across New Delhi, Gujarat and Punjab, has also frozen 46 mule bank accounts.

Addressing a press conference, Charu Sinha, Director General, CID, said the investigation revealed that the accused were involved in online betting offences across multiple states.

Data from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) shows 225 complaints and 73 criminal cases registered against them in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, indicating a systematic pan-India operation.

The arrests were made in a case registered last year by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) at Karimnagar-II Town Police Station on a complaint lodged by Challa Sai Krishna Reddy, a software engineer from Karimnagar.

He was induced by the promotional campaigns of Dafabet (www.dafabet.com) to participate in online betting. Trusting the platform’s representations, he deposited and wagered money over a period spanning January 2024 to January 2025 and suffered a total loss of Rs 9.95 lakh.

The SIT traced the complainant’s funds through a network of 46 mule bank accounts spread across eight layers, which were used to collect and route illegal betting proceeds. Forensic analysis of bank transactions, mobile numbers, email IDs, social media profiles and WhatsApp groups revealed a coordinated, multi-state criminal network.

The accused promoted betting on cricket, casino games and the Aviator platform through the Dafabet app. Victims were attracted with promises of easy money, bonuses and high returns. Funds were collected through UPI IDs, QR codes, internet banking and multiple bank accounts controlled by the network. Initial payouts were made strategically to build trust and encourage higher wagers.

The DG said six special teams, each led by a DSP-rank officer, were deployed to New Delhi, Gujarat and Punjab. Despite the accused frequently changing mobile phones, SIM cards and locations to evade detection, sustained surveillance and field operations over two weeks resulted in the arrest of 11 accused persons on May 29. Transit warrants have been obtained and the accused are being brought to CID Police Station, Hyderabad, for production before the Judicial Magistrate of First Class (Special Mobile) PCR Court, Karimnagar.

Those arrested include Manish Singh, 24, and Abhishek Singh, 26, both from Gujarat. Both were organisers who were receiving funds from the app.

Igneshious Dass, 27, Abhishek Wadhva, 27, and Mohd Halim, 24, all from Delhi, allegedly operated mule accounts on a commission basis.

Love Kumar of Patiala, Punjab, and Simarpreeth Singh of Ludhiana, Punjab, allegedly created fake firms and received funds from the app.

Ajith Singh, 27, Vijay Patidar, 25, Yugal Patidar, 24, and Prateek Praveen Bhai, all from Gandhinagar, Gujarat, were allegedly providing technical support to the two main accused.

The police seized three luxury vehicles (BMW, Mercedes and Kia Seltos), eight laptops, two iPads, 26 mobile phones, five passports and Rs 3,21,900 in cash.

Telangana has constituted the SIT under the Director General, CID, to combat illegal online betting and protect citizens from the financial and psychological harm caused by such platforms.

Telangana Police have so far registered 414 cases against various illegal online betting applications across the state.

As many as 108 online betting applications were identified and proposals submitted to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, resulting in their blocking.

The DG said 37 online betting applications have been geo-fenced in coordination with Internet Service Providers (ISPs), restricting their access within Telangana.

She said 25 celebrities and social media influencers were counselled against promoting online betting platforms and encouraged to spread awareness about the associated harms.

All police stations in Telangana are conducting awareness programmes at public gatherings to educate youth and families about the risks of online betting and encourage the reporting of suspicious activities.

–IANS

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