Shikha Goel to Head Sit Formed to Probe Cases Pertaining to Betting Apps

Hyderabad: Director General (CID) Shikha Goel will head a five-member special investigation team (SIT) that has been constituted to probe cases related to betting apps in the state.

An order towards this was issued by the DGP Dr. Jitender here on Monday.

Goel will monitor and supervise the entire investigation. The SIT has been asked to submit its report to the government within 90 days.

Dr. Jitender said that the SIT will conduct a thorough investigation into the online betting cases, which have been on the rise.

The SIT will comprise M. Ramesh Reddy, IGP (provisions and logistics), Ch. Sindu Sharma, SP (intelligence), K. Venkata Lakshmi, SP (CID), S. Chanddrakanth, additional SP (attached to Cyberabad) and M. Shankar, DSP (CID).

The team can seek the assistance of any financial expert, law officer, auditor or forensic investigation specialist as required for the purpose of investigation, with the approval of the DG-CID. It will make a detailed study of the existing ecosystem that is facilitating online betting and will subsequently come up with suggestions and recommendations on curbing the racket.

It will also look into legal provisions, regulations, and restrictions that can be introduced to prevent any activity related to online betting and gaming, including organising, promotion and advertisements.

A detailed study will also be undertaken as regards the role and responsibilities of the central and state agencies, including Income Tax and GST wings, ministries of information and broadcasting, electronics and IT, external affairs and home affairs, a[art from the department of prosecution, in regulating online gaming activities.

The newly constituted body will recommend policy and regulatory measures for streamlined payment systems and financial institutions to detect and block transactions linked to illegal betting and gaming operations, and submit these recommendations to the Reserve Bank of India.