HYDERABAD: The Telangana Crime Investigation Department (CID) has busted an illegal online betting network linked to the Dafabet platform and arrested 11 persons, including six from Gujarat, three from New Delhi and two from Punjab, following a multi-state investigation.
According to CID director general Charu Sinha, the accused were earning Rs 8 to Rs 10 lakhs per day through this platform. The police have counselled 25 celebrities and social media influencers against promoting betting platforms and have intensified public awareness campaigns across the state. Following police counselling, 21 of the 25 celebrities have made videos bringing awareness to the public.
During the investigation, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the director general of CID traced the money trail through 46 mule bank accounts operating across eight layers. Police said the accused promoted betting on cricket matches, casino games and the Aviator platform through the Dafabet app.
The case was registered based on a complaint filed by a software engineer from Karimnagar, who alleged that he was lured into online betting through promotional campaigns of the Dafabet platform. The victim deposited and wagered money between January 2024 and January 2025, eventually losing Rs 9.95 lakh.
Charu Sinha said the accused promoted betting on cricket matches, casino games and the Aviator platform through the Dafabet app. Customers were allegedly attracted by promises of easy earnings, bonuses and high returns. The network collected funds through UPI transactions, QR codes, internet banking and multiple bank accounts.
To crack the network, six special teams led by DSP-rank officers were deployed to New Delhi, Gujarat and Punjab. Despite the accused frequently changing mobile phones, SIM cards and locations to evade detection, sustained surveillance and field operations over two weeks led to the arrest of 11 suspects on May 29.
The CID seized three luxury vehicles, including one BMW and one Mercedes, eight laptops, two iPads, 26 mobile phones, five passports and Rs 3.21 lakh in cash.
According to the officials, the accused were involved in online betting offences across several states. Data from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) indicated that 225 complaints and 73 criminal cases had been registered against members of the network in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
The DG said 414 cases were registered against various illegal betting applications. The police identified 108 betting apps and secured their blocking through the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Another 37 applications have been geo-fenced in coordination with internet service providers to restrict access within Telangana.
