The Commissioner’s Task Force, Central Zone Team, along with Madhura Nagar Police, busted an international online gaming and satta betting racket operating from a rented flat.
The gang was identified as Sonule Srikanth, Gurle Harish, Gurle Satish Kumar, Sonule Thirupathi, and Ade Vinod, all natives of Kagaz Nagar, Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.
The accused were running online betting operations, supervising victim registrations, and managing transactions. “The gang opened bank accounts and obtained SIM cards in the names of financially vulnerable individuals in exchange for money. They initially lured victims with nominal profits, only to manipulate gaming outcomes once investments increased, leading to significant financial losses for victims,” said the police.
Police seized three laptops used to create online gaming websites, one tablet, two colour printers, 50 satta and matka betting pamphlets, three betting charts, 18 mobile phones used for transactions, ₹1.55 lakh in cash, and ₹2,13,697 in bank accounts linked to betting transactions.
The accused, who were carpenters by profession, had a history of betting on satta and matka games. Three months ago, they rented a flat in Yellareddyguda, Madhura Nagar, for ₹25,000 to expand their betting operations. They used laptops, mobile phones, and social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube to attract punters.
“They created fake videos showcasing supposed punters winning large amounts with small investments, sharing these videos to deceive victims. Each punter was charged ₹1,000 as a registration fee for prediction-based betting. Transactions were handled via QR codes and UPI payments. The accused manipulated gaming outcomes to ensure victims eventually lost their investments,” added the police.
Published – March 21, 2025 08:01 pm IST
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