In Hyderabad, the Commissioner’s Task Force from the South Zone, along with SR Nagar police, uncovered an illegal online betting operation. They arrested eight individuals involved with banned betting apps in SR Nagar. The police seized 18 mobile phones, three bank passbooks, 13 ATM cards, and money transfers totaling Rs 29,81,000.
The arrested individuals are G Vinay Kumar (23), N Sai Vardhan Goud (22), D Rahul (23), D Jeshwanth Teja (22), Joda Venu Gopal (31), Kola Ram (23), Velpula Akash (22), and D Pranay (22). They engaged in illegal online betting using apps like Khelostar, Khelo24, Kehlo Exchange, Khelo Sports, and Win Match with specific user IDs and passwords. Two other suspects, Rajesh and Aslam from Kareem Nagar, are still on the run.
The police explained that Rajesh and Aslam moved to Hyderabad for work but got involved in illegal online betting. They created a network, providing user IDs, passwords, and mobile phones to bettors for a commission. They used bank accounts from unsuspecting individuals to deposit winnings, as each user ID required a linked bank account, stated Ande Srinivasa Rao, Additional DCP Task Force.
Additionally, the main suspects collaborated with others from Jagtial and Peddapalli districts, who also came to Hyderabad for work. Together, they used multiple IDs to play online betting games, making illegal profits. So far, police identified 235 such IDs, according to Srinivasa Rao.
Based on a tip-off, police arrested the group near Nagarjuna School in SR Nagar. SR Nagar Police filed a case under Sections 3 and 4 of the TS Gaming Act and have started an investigation.
