The Cybercrime Police in Surat have busted an illegal online betting and gaming racket operating through a website and arrested nine people from Rewa in Madhya Pradesh.
Investigators revealed that the gang allegedly used an online betting platform to circulate and launder money siphoned off through cyber frauds carried out across the country.
According to police, the accused were linked to 110 cyber fraud complaints reported in 21 states, involving a total amount of Rs19.24 crore that was routed through 391 bank accounts.
The racket came to light during the investigation of a cybercrime case registered in Surat. In that case, a Western Railway employee from the city lost Rs8.12 lakh after being lured with a fake promise related to pension benefits. Fraudsters allegedly posed as officials from the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) office and convinced him to transfer the money.
During the investigation, cybercrime officers arrested Pranshu Pathak, who had received a portion of the siphoned funds. During questioning, he revealed that a group involved in cyber fraud and online betting was operating from a rented flat in Rewa.
Based on this information, a police team conducted a raid at the flat and arrested eight more suspects: Gulfam Hussain, Abhinav Pandey, Samir Hussain, Dharmaraj Vishwakarma, Aditya Sahani, Aftab Hussain, Taufiq Ali, and Shahnawaz Ali.
Police said the accused were operating a website called BetBook247com, which functioned as a betting platform. Through the portal, they allegedly issued betting IDs to users and allowed them to place bets online. Investigators said the money obtained through cyber frauds was used to settle payments for bettors who won on the platform.
During the raid, authorities seized 27 mobile phones, three laptops, 51 debit cards, 13 SIM cards, 23 bank passbooks, four account books, and a router. Investigators also recovered records of 391 bank accounts linked to the operation.
Police said that among the 21 states where complaints were registered, Rajasthan recorded the highest number with 16 cases.
Authorities have now formed special teams to trace the alleged masterminds of the racket, identified as Chetan and Shubham, who are currently absconding.
