Anantapur Police Bust Philippines-Based Online IPL Betting Gang
Addressing media on Tuesday, SP P. Jagadeesh said the racket with links across several Indian states had been coordinated by a kingpin identified as Shiva from Philippines.
Anantapur:In a major breakthrough, Anantapur police busted an online IPL betting racket network based in the Philippines using the Dream Play 1 application. Ten members of the syndicate have been arrested and cash, vehicles, electronic gadgets and betting-related materials, collectively worth around ₹60 lakh, have been seized.
Addressing media on Tuesday, SP P. Jagadeesh said the racket with links across several Indian states had been coordinated by a kingpin identified as Shiva from Philippines. Shiva and another accused Sachin from Karnataka are absconding.
Police have arrested Talari Madhu, Veparalla Mohammad alias Moula, Shaik Babjan, Shaik Roshan Vali, Makodiki Srinivasulu, Thimmaiah, Raghavenkata Pawan Kumar, Sunkaravaina Kiran, Rapaka Prashanth and Gaddavalasa Manikantha Raja in connection with the case.
During its raid, police seized ₹19.70 lakh cash, an SUV, four motorcycles, three laptops, one tablet, 15 mobile phones, 15 SIM cards, 13 ATM cards, four cheque books, scanners, pen drives, card readers, publicity cards linked to the Dream Play 1 app, and other electronic devices.
Police have initiated the freezing of ₹18.20 lakh lying in bank accounts linked to 49 persons across nine banks.
The gang had been running illegal online casino, roulette, dragon, monopoly and cricket betting operations for nearly three years from Makati Metro Manila in the Philippines using the Dream Play 1 app. The accused took betting transactions mainly through PhonePe and other digital payment platforms.
SP Jagadeesh said Talari Madhu had come into contact with Shiva through Instagram around three years ago. Shiva promised him a 40 per cent share in the betting proceeds while retaining 60 per cent for himself. Madhu subsequently recruited local associates and expanded the network in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Police said the gang opened bank accounts in the names of nearly 70 persons. It paid around ₹10,000 to account holders for obtaining passbooks and banking access. SIM cards obtained in the names of others had been used for online betting and digital payment transactions.
