VISAKHAPATNAM: Resolving a complaint lodged during the weekly ‘Police Spandana’ grievance redressal programme led to the busting of a multi-crore online cricket betting racket in the Steel City.Following a complaint lodged by one Yerra Sattibabu who lost Rs 8 lakh to online betting, City Police Commissioner A Ravi Sankar launched an investigation which revealed startling facts on how bookies were cheating gullible people.
Police identified 11 people involved in the case, arrested them and freezed 63 bank accounts. They noticed that international transactions to the tune of Rs 367 crore were carried out through 36 bank accounts over the past two years. The police then urged bank authorities to seize Rs 75 lakh in the bank accounts.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, DCP-1 (law and order) K Srinivasa Rao, who led the team of investigators, said Sattibabu was lured into online cricket betting by his close relative Suribabu. After losing Rs 8 lakh, the victim realised he was being cheated. Subsequently, he approached the police and lodged a complaint 20 days ago.
The arrested were identified as Merupu Reddy Suribabu (40), Handa Dinesh Kumar (43), Barri Srinu (29), Gurram Siva (35), Killadi Srinivas Rao, (26), Allu Nookarju Avinash (24), Uriti Kondababu (27), Uraiti Venkateswarlu (26), Sundarapu Ganesh (22), Duli Nookaraju (29), and Vuppu Vasudevarao (53). They were all sent to remand.
Investigators identified Surbibabu, a native of Rambilli in Anakapalle district, as the kingpin of the fraud. Initially, he was involved in online betting through mobile applications such as exch333, exch666, lordsexch, go.punt, betway, Rajabets, 1XBet, melbet, parimatch, 22bet, BetWinner, dafabet among others. Later, he took authorisation for exch666 app and turned into a bookie.Suribabu would collect Rs 5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh each from 20 to 30 people during each of the international cricket and IPL matches.
Elaborating on the modus operandi, police said Suribabu, as a host, would take the website and mobile app offline during the matches so that once people place their bets, they cannot change it. When asked about the losses incurred, the bookie would maintain that it was decided by the app handler. This way he used to rake in at least Rs 5 crore to Rs 6 crore profit during each match.
The key accused in the case would then transfer the money to one Dinesh Kumar who works at a travel agency in Suryabagh. Dinesh used to charge 2 per cent commission for each transaction.The DCP added that the accused had been using a special software to cheat people.