The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Telangana Police busted an illegal online betting racket and arrested 11 people from Gujarat, Delhi and Punjab in an inter-state coordinated operation, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Director Charu Sinha announced on Monday.
Speaking to reporters in her office, Sinha said the arrests were made by a special investigation team formed by the state government to crack down on illegal online betting operations and protect citizens from financial fraud and psychological exploitation.
It said as many as 25 celebrities and social media influencers have been identified for allegedly endorsing online betting platforms in the state. She added: “We summoned them to our office and advised them not to agree to online betting applications. We did not file any case against them, but we asked them to raise awareness of the financial and social harms associated with such activities,” without revealing the names of the celebrities.
Sinha said 21 out of 25 celebrities have already sent video messages discouraging the public from participating in online betting activities, while the remaining four are yet to submit their responses or commitments against the promotion of such platforms.
The crackdown on the betting gang was launched based on a complaint filed by Chala Sai Krishna Reddy, a software engineer from Karimnagar. The SIT registered a case at Karimnagar City Police Station-2 under various provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, Information Technology Act and Telangana State Gaming Act.
The complainant alleged that he was lured into online betting through Dafabet’s aggressive promotional campaigns. Believing in the promise of high returns and easy money, he reportedly deposited and bet money between January 2024 and January 2025, ultimately losing nearly $9.95 lakh.
During the investigation, the SIT uncovered a sophisticated money laundering network involving 46 bank accounts operating through eight layers of transactions to collect and remit betting proceeds.
The CID chief said forensic analysis of bank transactions, mobile phone data, email accounts, social media profiles and WhatsApp groups revealed a well-organized interstate betting syndicate.
It said the accused promoted betting activities related to cricket matches, casino games and Aviator gaming platform through the Dafabet app. Victims were allegedly attracted by offers of bonuses, assured payouts and promises of quick profits.
The syndicate reportedly collected money through UPI transactions, QR codes, online banking and multiple bank accounts managed by the accused. Officials said initial winnings were strategically pushed out to users to build trust and encourage larger bets.
To trace the suspects, the CID deployed six special teams led by officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police in New Delhi, Gujarat and Punjab. “Although the accused repeatedly changed mobile phones, SIM cards and locations to avoid arrest, the teams conducted continuous surveillance and field operations over a period of two weeks before arresting 11 people on May 29,” she added.
The arrested persons have been identified as Manish Singh (24 years), Abhishek Singh (26 years), Vijay Patidar (25 years), Yugal Patidar (24 years), and Pratik Praveen Bhai (25 years) from Gujarat; Ignacios Das (27), Abhishek Wadhva (27) and Muhammad Haleem (24) from New Delhi; Luv Kumar and Simarpreth Singh (41 years old) from Punjab.
“It is alleged that some of the accused were providing technical support to the main operators of the betting network,” Sinha said.
Police confiscated several high-value assets during the raids, including luxury cars such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Kia Seltos, eight laptops, two iPads, 26 mobile phones, five passports and cash worth $100 million. $3.21 lakh.
The Criminal Investigation Department official said that further investigations revealed that the accused were involved in online betting crimes in multiple states. Data obtained from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) showed that 225 complaints and 73 criminal cases were registered against the network in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
Sinha said the special investigation team has intensified its crackdown on illegal online betting apps across the state. As many as 414 cases have been registered so far against various online betting platforms.
The authorities also identified 108 betting orders and submitted ban proposals to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, leading to their suspension.
“In addition, 37 betting apps have been geo-fenced in coordination with ISPs to restrict access within Telangana,” it said.
