Greater Noida: Int’l betting racket busted during abduction probe

The suspects’ ploy fell apart when the police uncovered their plans on arresting eight suspects in the matter, discovering that they were involved in the conspiracy, fraud, and gambling

GREATER NOIDA: The Greater Noida police busted an international online cricket betting racket which came to light after a man from Alwar, Rajasthan, reported about a kidnapping of his son on emergency helpline no. 112 on June 12, prompting the Kasna police to act, officers said on Sunday.

Police said the incident came to light after Subhash Chandra, a resident of Alwar, informed the police that his son, Bhim Singh, 22, and nephew, Narayan (single name), 25, had been kidnapped. (Representational image)

Investigations into the alleged kidnapping, however, revealed that it was actually a ploy hatched by the suspects in collusion with their associates to extract ransom from their own relatives to raise money for their secret online gambling work and conceal their unlawful activities, police said on Sunday.

The suspects’ ploy fell apart when the police uncovered their plans on arresting eight suspects in the matter, discovering that they were involved in the conspiracy, fraud, possession of fake documents, and gambling.

“Kasna police, collaboration with the SWAT team busted an international online gambling racket and exposed a fake kidnapping conspiracy in a joint operation on June 12. A total of eight suspects were arrested and a large cache of electronic gadgets, fake documents, and other material were recovered from their possession,” said deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (Greater Noida) Saad Miyan Khan, in a press conference on Sunday.

The accused were identified as Bhim Singh, 22, and Narayan, 26, of Alwar, Rajasthan; Dhruv, 24; Sunny Jetwa, 27; and Himanshu Dakan, 20, of Gujarat; Muqeem, 19; and Vishal Kumar, 27, of Haryana, and Sukhdev Singh (31) of Delhi.

Police said the incident came to light after Subhash Chandra, a resident of Alwar, informed the police that his son, Bhim Singh, 22, and nephew, Narayan (single name), 25, had been kidnapped. He said the suspects demanded a ransom of ₹7 lakh and threatened to kill the two if the amount was not deposited into their account.

Kasna police officers and the SWAT team were directed to pursue the matter.

Through electronic surveillance and manual investigations, police traced (Bhim) Singh’s phone location to an area around Cherry County society, under Bisrakh police station limits.

“Using a combination of technical surveillance and human intelligence, the team identified White Orchid Apartment in Gaur City as a possible hub. Inside flat number 2 of this complex, Dhruv and his three associates were apprehended. They were in possession of 2 laptops, nearly a dozen smartphones, fake SIM cards, forged Aadhaar cards, and numerous account documents,” the DCP added.

Dhruv further disclosed the location of another team in Radha Sky Garden under Bisrakh police station limits. Upon raiding flat number 18 there, (Bhim) Singh, Narayan, Himanshu, and Sukhdev were nabbed.

During questioning, Singh admitted to fabricating his own kidnapping alongside his cousin and friends in a conspiracy to extract money from their families, police said.

During interrogation, suspects revealed that all eight were involved in a well-planned conspiracy to manipulate betting transactions and commit fraud.

From their base, in White Orchid Apartment, Gaur City, they would take bets on live cricket match scores, wickets, and match outcomes through smartphones and laptops.

Players, wishing to place bets, would contact them on WhatsApp — phone numbers were displayed directly on a mobile betting platform’s pop-up advertisement. Each person was provided with a unique ID to wager under.

Suspects revealed that fake SIM cards and bank documents were provided to them by their boss, who operates from abroad in Thailand and Dubai and remotely controls their operations. Daily profits from these transactions, amounting to nearly ₹30 lakh, were routed back into accounts specified by their boss.

“…The suspects would transfer profits — nearly ₹30 lakh daily — back to him. The conspiracy was designed in a way that initially, those who put in small amounts would win. But as they raised their stakes, they would start losing,” said station house officer (Kasna) Dharmendra Shukla.

Police recovered four laptops, 26 smartphones, 16 SIM cards, two account register books, 3 bank passbooks, 2 cheque books, and a passport (Vishal Kumar) from their possession.

A case has been registered under Section 3/4 of the Gambling Act, Section 318(4), 338, 336(3), 336(4), 340(2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act at Kasna police station, police said.

“We will pursue all legal action against them. Our team is committed to dismantling such networks and preventing fraud in our jurisdiction,” said DCP (Greater Noida).