RAIPUR: Khairagarh district police in Chhattisgarh, in a significant crackdown, unearthed the online betting ‘Shiva’ App that enabled illegal betting websites to enrol users. The police found the App operating as an online gaming and gambling engaged the users through a layered web of ‘banami’ bank accounts by creating user IDs. Six have been arrested.
The police got the inputs from a bookie who was earlier arrested on a complaint of being involved in playing online ‘satta’ on June 18. Based on information received from him, a joint team of Khairagarh police and cyber cell raided Nagpur (Maharashtra), where the online betting racket operations were busted. The 'Shiva' App was also being operated from the adjoining Durg district. The police suspected the App’s mastermind to be a resident of Durg.
"We have so far traced over Rs 20 crore cash transactions carried out in different banks. After a technical analysis of the server, its two branches at Nagpur and Durg were seized and disabled. Going by the entire contents recovered and the operations, it appears the 'Shiva' App was being operated as a syndicate. Six have been arrested and as the probe continues, more will be taken into custody”, said Lakshya Sharma, the district police chief.
The two main operators, as key accused in the case, are absconding and will be arrested soon, the SP added. With more digital evidence and panels getting surfaced, the legal procedure and actions will accordingly follow.
The police recovered Rs 50,000 cash, Rs 2.28 lakh bank balance including cash worth Rs 2.78 lakh, 25 mobile phones, 2 laptops, 26 ATM cards, 19 bank passbooks, 14 cheque books, 4 Wi-Fi routers, 8 Aadhaar cards, one passport, 11 SIM cards and 4 registers from the possession of the six accused.
The police, after tracing the money trail had frozen all accounts involved in the transactions of the online scam. Some big names may emerge on the radar of the police following the interrogation of the accused arrested.