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Inter-state betting racket busted with arrest of 11 in Baijnath, Mohali
Police have busted an inter-state illegal betting racket involved in transactions worth crores, with the arrest of 11 people. The gang had carried out transactions running into crores from bank accounts of different people in Dharamshala, Baijnath-Paprola and Mohali. Police are investigating the role of bank account holders and more arrests are expected.
Police have busted an inter-state illegal betting racket allegedly involved in making transactions worth crores from bank accounts belonging to different people with the arrest of the eleven people.
The nexus was exposed on June 15 when a youth from Chamba filed a complaint at the Dharamshala police station, stating that a person from Baijnath befriended him and got his account opened at a local bank and made transaction through it.
After receiving a tip-off, police arrested two associates of the racket’s kingpin from Baijanth-Paprola of Kangra. During the raid at their places, police recovered laptops, mobile phones, passbooks, cheque books and SIM cards.
Subsequent investigation led the police team to Mohali, where the cops raided two flats and arrested nine people involved in the racket — five of them hailed from Chhattisgarh and four from Uttar Pradesh.
Sharing further details about the recoveries, superintendent of police Shalini Agnihotri said, “The police teams have seized a total of 13 laptops, 38 mobile phones, 34 ATM-cum-debit cards, 34 passbooks, 27 cheque books, 33 SIM cards, one CPU, one hard disk, one passport, seven Aadhar cards, eight pan cards and three voter cards from the accused.”
More arrests expected: Police
The SP added that some of the accused’s aides remain at large and more arrests are expected in the days to come.
“Preliminary investigation suggests it to be an online games betting racket. However, we are also investigating the cyber fraud aspect,” she added.
The gang members had carried out transactions running into crores from bank accounts of different people. The same involves a large number of accounts opened in banks at Dharamshala, Baijnath-Paprola and Mohali.
“Police are also investigating the role of bank account holders,” the SP said, adding that the identity of the accused and complainant has been withheld so that the investigation does not get affected.
Meanwhile, data from electronic devices recovered was being analysed by experts given the involvement of massive sums of unaccounted money.
“We are working to find out the source of money and its rotation, entry and exit from the bank account. It is a multi-layered nexus and could be spread across the country or at international level,” the SP said, adding, “We have busted two layers of it and further development may take place during the course of investigation.”
Meanwhile, police sources said the kingpin who hails from Baijanth had gone into hiding soon after the nexus was exposed.
