Ludhiana Rural Police’s CIA staff arrested five members of a gang accused of running illegal online betting websites in violation of the central government’s ban. The accused were luring people into betting on cricket matches, sports tournaments, and number games with false promises of quick money.
Acting on a tip-off, police carried out a well-planned raid and apprehended the suspects. An FIR has been lodged under Sections 318(4) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66 of the Information and Technology Act.
Those arrested have been identified as Abhinav Garg (24) of Barnala, Om Prakash (29) of Nalanda in Bihar, Amrikraj alias Amrit (28) also of Nalanda, Vishwajeet Singh (36) of Etah in Uttar Pradesh, and Irfan Khan (25) of Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh.
During the raid, police seized eight mobile phones, eight SIM cards used exclusively for banking transactions, two checkbooks, a laptop, and a car.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP, Ludhiana Rural) Ankur Gupta said the gang was operating banned portals such as parimatch.com and mostbet.net.in.
These websites, despite the government’s restrictions, were used to rope in unsuspecting citizens and encourage them to gamble large sums. Victims were persuaded to transfer money into bank accounts controlled by the gang. The funds were often converted into cryptocurrency and moved abroad, making tracing extremely difficult.
{{/usCountry}}These websites, despite the government’s restrictions, were used to rope in unsuspecting citizens and encourage them to gamble large sums. Victims were persuaded to transfer money into bank accounts controlled by the gang. The funds were often converted into cryptocurrency and moved abroad, making tracing extremely difficult.
{{/usCountry}}The SSP added that the arrested accused were part of a wider network exploiting digital loopholes to expand illegal betting operations across states.
The investigation is now focused on identifying their accomplices and financial handlers, including links in Delhi and Mumbai.