Kangra Police Bust Online Betting Racket: 6 Arrested, 48 Gadgets Seized
Kangra police raided a house in Birta, arresting six people and seizing 41 phones and 7 laptops in a massive online betting racket.
In a major crackdown on illegal gambling, the Kangra police have dismantled an online betting racket operating out of a residential building in Himachal Pradesh. The operation led to the arrest of six individuals and the recovery of a significant cache of electronic devices used to facilitate the scam.
The Raid at Birta
The breakthrough came after the police received a specific tip-off on October 22 regarding suspicious activities occurring on the second floor of a house in Birta, near Kangra. Acting swiftly on this intelligence, a police team raided the premises and caught six men red-handed.
During the search, officials recovered a staggering 41 mobile phones and seven laptops. According to Superintendent of Police (SP) Kulbhushan Verma, the suspects were using these devices to manage online gaming platforms and collect money from unsuspecting users across India.
The Modus Operandi: Mule Accounts and UPI
Investigations revealed a sophisticated financial network designed to hide the money trail. The accused allegedly used a variety of bank accounts linked to different UPI IDs and QR codes sourced from various parts of the country.
Police suspect that these were "mule accounts," used specifically to route and accumulate large sums of money to avoid detection by financial regulators. The suspects were facilitating betting through various gaming applications, drawing in participants from across the nation.
Who are the Accused?
The six individuals booked in the case include:
- Lavlesh (25) and Sagar Chaudhary (27), both residents of Kangra district.
- Aryan (20), a resident of Nagrota Bagwan in Kangra.
- Manoj Kumar Mehta (28), Pankaj Pandit (31), and Vivek Kumar (27), all hailing from Bihar.
The Mystery of the Hardware
A curious detail emerged during the interrogation: the arrested men claimed that a person from the Nagrota area had provided them with the laptops and mobile phones. This individual has since been summoned by the police for questioning.
Furthermore, the police are suspicious about the origin of the electronic devices. As the accused failed to provide satisfactory proof of purchase, investigators are exploring the possibility that some of the seized gadgets may have been stolen.
Global Links and Financial Trails
The investigation is now shifting toward the destination of the illicit funds. SP Kulbhushan Verma stated that the police are coordinating with banks to trace the money trail.
"There is a possibility that the money could be going to foreign accounts or that someone sitting abroad could be facilitating the betting activity. However, this aspect is still being investigated," Verma told ANI.
Legal Action
A formal case has been registered at the Kangra police station. The accused have been booked under Sections 317(2), 317(5), and 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertain to cheating and the possession of stolen property.
The seized devices are currently undergoing forensic examination to uncover more details about the gaming platforms used and to identify other potential collaborators in the racket.