In a significant crackdown, hyberabad Cybercrime Police have arrested four social media influencers—Chinnamsetty Nagarakesh, Pottavattini Deepak, Guguloth Sriram Nayak, and Hemanth Kumar—for promoting fake betting apps and websites operated from abroad. The accused collectively earned Rs 2.75 crore by targeting thousands of Telugu youth through Instagram reels and Telegram channels, police said.
The accused lured users with claims of match-fixing predictions and toss-fixing tips via 10 fake betting apps and websites remotely managed overseas. They shared Instagram reels boasting insider information on match outcomes, directing users to Telegram groups with APK files for app installation. Initially, small bets showed quick returns to gain trust.
Once users invested larger amounts, the scammers manipulated results to make them lose. The defrauded money was routed through mule accounts, converted into cryptocurrency, or funneled into benami accounts.
Nagarakesh earned Rs 1.7 crore, Deepak Rs 55 lakh, Sriram Nayak Rs 30 lakh, and Hemanth Kumar Rs 20 lakh by promoting and running Telegram groups, despite knowing the fraudulent nature of the platforms.
A youth from Qutbullapur lost Rs 50 lakh in just 10 days after joining one such Telegram group two years ago. Another victim, Kulwant Singh from Bhopal, lost Rs 60 lakh and tragically died by suicide in December 2023 due to mounting debts.
Based on a complaint from the Qutbullapur youth, hyberabad Cybercrime Police launched an investigation led by Inspector Shankaraiah, leading to the arrests and seizure of 10 mobile phones, two laptops, five debit cards, and bank passbooks.
Cyberabad Cybercrime DCP Sai Sri confirmed identification of 10 fake betting websites and stated that efforts are underway to block them. She cautioned the public to avoid falling for betting schemes promoted via social media and Telegram, warning that such easy-money promises are mostly scams operated by international gangs with local influencers as promoters.
