BENGALURU: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken a decisive step in curbing illegal online betting and gambling activities by provisionally attaching movable properties worth Rs 5.87 crore.
These assets were identified as balances in various bank accounts of individuals and entities involved in this unlawful activity, all under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
The ED’s investigation into the matter was initiated following an FIR filed at the Viveknagar police station. The complaint was lodged by the Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI) office, alleging the deep involvement of numerous companies in illegal online gambling, betting, and suspicious activities.
The accused, identified as Umar Farooq and Shymala N, reportedly used false documents to establish multiple companies. The HR manager of these companies had illicitly purchased numerous SIM cards and connected them to various bank accounts for facilitating online transactions.
The multiple entities, including Rockstar Interactive, Indie World Studio, Falcon Entertainment Agencies, The Next Level Technology, Rift Gamer Technologies, Reality Code Technology, Tenes Solutions, Electronic Virtual Solutions, Zazago Systems, Zynga Interactive, Whale Bytes Technology, Iobitcode Interactive Agency, Oculus Valve Entertainment and Nestra Web Solutions, were systematically established with the intent to fool the public.
These groups engaged in fraudulent activities by collecting funds under the disguise of betting and gambling. They operated through websites, such as Bestartech, Khelo24bet, and Betinexchange.
Further investigation is on.