Telangana CID busts inter-state betting racket, 11 arrested

THe criminal offence investigating section (CID) of the Telangana law busted an alleged illegal online betting racquet and arrested 11 people from Gujarat, Delhi and Punjab in a coordinated inter-state operation, CID director general Charu Sinha announced on Monday.Speaking to reporters at her office, Sinha said the arrests were made by a special investigation team (SIT) constituted by the state government to crack down on illegal online betting operations and protect citizens from financial fraud and psychological exploitation.She said as many as 25 celebrities and social media influencers had been identified for allegedly endorsing online betting platforms in the state. “We have called them to our office and counselled them against endorsing online betting applications. We have not booked any cases against them, but asked them to create awareness about the financial and social harm associated with such activities,” she said, without disclosing the names of the celebrities.Sinha said 21 of the 25 celebrities had already submitted video messages discouraging the public from participating in online betting activities, while the remaining four were yet to submit their responses or commitments against promoting such platforms.The crackdown on the betting gang was launched based on a complaint lodged by Challa Sai Krishna Reddy, a software engineer from Karimnagar. The SIT registered a case at Karimnagar-II Town Police Station under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Information Technology Act and Telangana State Gaming Act.The complainant alleged that he was lured into online betting through aggressive promotional campaigns by the Dafabet platform. Believing the promises of high returns and easy money, he reportedly deposited and wagered funds between January 2024 and January 2025, eventually losing nearly ₹9.95 lakh.During the investigation, the SIT uncovered a sophisticated money laundering network involving 46 mule bank accounts operating through eight layers of transactions to collect and transfer betting proceeds.The CID chief said forensic analysis of bank transactions, mobile phone data, email accounts, social media profiles and WhatsApp groups exposed a well-organised interstate betting syndicate.She said the accused promoted betting activities related to cricket matches, casino games and the Aviator gaming platform through the Dafabet application. Victims were allegedly attracted with bonus offers, assured payouts and promises of quick profits.The syndicate reportedly collected money through UPI transactions, QR codes, internet banking and multiple bank accounts operated by the accused. Initial winnings were strategically paid out to users to build trust and encourage larger bets, officials said.To track down the suspects, the CID deployed six special teams led by officers of deputy superintendent of police-rank to New Delhi, Gujarat and Punjab. “Despite the accused frequently changing mobile phones, SIM cards and locations to evade arrest, the teams conducted sustained surveillance and field operations over a two-week period before apprehending 11 persons on May 29,” she said.The arrested persons were identified as Manish Singh (24), Abhishek Singh (26), Vijay Patidar (25), Yugal Patidar (24) and Prateek Praveen Bhai (25) from Gujarat; Ignesious Dass (27), Abhishek Wadhva (27) and Mohd Halim (24) from New Delhi; and Love Kumar and Simarpreeth Singh (41) from Punjab.“Some of the accused were allegedly providing technical support to the main operators of the betting network,” Sinha said.The police seized several high-value assets during the raids, including luxury vehicles such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Kia Seltos cars, eight laptops, two iPads, 26 mobile phones, five passports and cash amounting to ₹3.21 lakh.The CID official said further investigation revealed the accused were allegedly involved in online betting offences across multiple states. Data obtained from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) showed that 225 complaints and 73 criminal cases had been registered against the network in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.Sinha said the SIT had intensified its crackdown on illegal online betting applications across the state. As many 414 cases have so far been registered against various online betting platforms.Authorities also identified 108 betting applications and submitted blocking proposals to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, leading to their suspension.“Additionally, 37 betting applications have been geo-fenced in coordination with internet service providers to restrict access within Telangana,” she said.