CHENNAI: A 34-year-old man who allegedly cheated thousands by promising huge returns in online betting was arrested on Tuesday. The accused, Harikrishnan from Kilpauk, took over the business from his father who passed away recently. “Harikrishnan had attracted people who were interested in placing bets. He had bought the portal on lease from a Europe-based firm where people could play casinos and bet on various live sporting events,” said a police officer.
The officer said the deal between the European firm and Harikrishnan has to be probed, but about `1.50 crore from Harikrishnan’s bank account has been frozen as part of the investigation. “His account is credited with money every minute,” said the officer.
The victim Vignesh of Choolaimedu turned to online gambling during lockdown and lost about `87 lakh through Harikrishnan’s portal. Vignesh borrowed money from friends and lost it all. He lodged a complaint with the cyber crime police.
Police traced Harikrishnan to a star hotel in Mamallapuram and arrested him. A sum of `24.68 lakh, 24 sovereigns of gold, 10 mobile phones, a laptop and a car were seized from him. Investigation revealed that Harikrishnan operated as a cricket bookie, too, and has so far cheated about 30 people. Further investigation is on.