Eleven persons were arrested by the Telangana CID’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) for allegedly operating a multi-State illegal online betting network linked to the Dafabet platform, following an investigation into the loss of nearly ₹10 lakh by a software engineer from Karimnagar.
The accused were identified as Manish Singh, 24, from Gujarat, Abhishek Singh, 26, also from Gujarat, Igneshious Dass, 27, Abhishek Wadhva, 27, both from New Delhi, Mohd Halim, 24, from South Delhi, Love Kumar, from Punjab, Simarpreet Singh, 41, also from Punjab, Ajith Singh, 27, Vijay Patidar, 25, Yugal Patidar, 24, and Prateek Praveen Bhai, 25, all from Gujarat.
The CID seized three luxury vehicles, including BMW, Mercedes and Kia Seltos cars, eight laptops, two iPads, 26 mobile phones, five passports and ₹3,21,900 in cash during the operation.
According to the DG of CID, Charu Sinha, the State government had constituted a Special Investigation Team under the Director General, CID, to curb illegal online betting and protect citizens from financial and psychological harm. The SIT registered a case at Karimnagar-II Town Police Station after Challa Sai Krishna Reddy, a software engineer from Karimnagar, complained that he had lost ₹9.95 lakh after participating in online betting activities promoted through the Dafabet platform between January 2024 and January 2025.
Investigators traced the complainant’s money through 46 mule bank accounts spread across eight layers that were allegedly used to collect and route betting proceeds. The probe involved analysis of bank transactions, mobile numbers, email IDs, social media profiles and WhatsApp groups, which revealed what police described as a coordinated criminal network operating across several States.
Two luxury cars seized by the CID during the bust. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“The accused promoted betting on cricket matches, casino games and the Aviator platform through the Dafabet application. Victims were allegedly lured with promises of easy money, bonuses and high returns. Funds were collected through UPI transactions, QR codes, internet banking and multiple bank accounts controlled by the network. Initial payouts were allegedly made to build confidence among users and encourage larger wagers,” said the DG.
Six special teams led by DSP-rank officers were deployed to New Delhi, Gujarat and Punjab. After two weeks of surveillance and field operations, the teams arrested the accused on May 29. The suspects allegedly changed mobile phones, SIM cards and locations frequently to evade law enforcement agencies.
The investigation further revealed that the accused were allegedly involved in online betting offences across several states. According to data available on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, 225 complaints and 73 criminal cases have been registered against them in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
The Telangana Police said it has registered 414 cases against various illegal online betting applications across the state. Authorities have identified 108 betting applications and submitted proposals to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for blocking them. Another 37 betting applications have been geo-fenced with the assistance of internet service providers to restrict access within Telangana.
Police also stated that standard operating procedures have been issued to investigating officers handling online betting cases, while 25 celebrities and social media influencers have been counselled against promoting betting platforms. Awareness programmes are also being conducted across police stations in the state to educate the public about the risks associated with online betting.
Published - June 01, 2026 02:32 pm IST
Hyderabad / Telangana / crime / fraud
Source: The Hindu - India News
