HYDERABAD: It started with a drunken prank and ended with Rs 30 lakh in cash, three arrests and a betting racket coming to light.
On August 21, Sumanth, 25, was drinking with his friends Makati Manoj, 29, and Kanumuri Gowtham Chowdary, 29, at their room in KPHB when he sent his girlfriend a message claiming he had been kidnapped.
She did not take the message lightly. She called Dial 112, setting off a chain of events that the three men probably did not expect.
KPHB police rushed to the location and found Sumanth, Manoj and Gowtham there. Something about their behaviour appeared suspicious, prompting the police to search the premises. Inside, they found Rs 30 lakh in cash and other valuables.
What followed, during questioning, opened up a much bigger story. Police said Sumanth had previously been involved in online betting. Around seven years ago, he lost nearly Rs 3 crore and eventually sold his farmland to clear the debt.
He later quit betting and completed his Master’s degree in the UK.
In 2023, however, he came across an online advertisement for cricket predictions. The idea drew him back into the online world.
He created Telegram channels offering match predictions and eventually built an audience of around 60,000 viewers, including 2,000 active participants.
Police said Sumanth also promoted betting applications such as FairPlay and ReddyBook through the channels, earning commissions.
Then came what appeared to be a lucrative exit. According to police, a man named Shiv offered Rs 4.6 crore to buy Sumanth’s Telegram channels. Believing he would make a substantial amount and walk away from the business, Sumanth handed over the login credentials on August 8.
The payment, however, did not arrive as expected. An unidentified person contacted Sumanth on WhatsApp and asked where the money should be delivered. He provided the address where Manoj and Gowtham lived.
Between August 17 and 21, different persons allegedly visited the house on three occasions and handed over Rs 30 lakh in instalments. And then, on August 21, came the message that brought the police to their doorstep.
KPHB police arrested the accused and registered a case. Further investigation is on.
