ONGOLE: Prakasam district police busted an online betting racket and arrested six individuals for their involvement in operating the network and misusing bank accounts to transfer funds abroad.
The arrests were made under the supervision of Prakasam District Superintendent of Police AR Damodar, who briefed the media on Wednesday. The accused are Shaik Nayab Rasool (32), Arusumalla Praneeth Kumar (32), Syed Shahajad Ali (25), Singanaboina Chaitanya Kumar (25), Shaik Khadarunnisa alias Mastanamma (50), and Shaik Ayesha (30). All were arrested near Mukthinuthalapadu and Milk Dairy Centre.
SP Damodar said the primary accused, Shaik Yasin from Udayagiri and currently residing in Hyderabad, collaborated with international online betting operators known as White, Jimmy, and Maunika via the Telegram app.
The group allegedly created multiple fake bank accounts using false documents, offering payments between Rs 15,000 and Rs 45,000 to account holders in exchange for their banking kits, ATM cards, SIMs, and passbooks. These were routed to foreign handlers for illegal transactions.
The racket operated across Nellore, Ongole, and Hyderabad, utilising banks like Karnataka Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, and Federal Bank.
Efforts are underway to apprehend other suspects, including Ajay, Vijay, Syam, Rabbu, Jimmy, White, and Maunika. SP Damodar praised the investigation team led by Ongole DSP R. Srinivasa Rao, Ongole Taluka CI Vijayakrishna, IT Core CI V Suryanarayana, and IO B Phani Bhushan.