Cyber Crime Police Bust Interstate Betting Racket; ₹400 Crore Transactions Exposed

Cyber Crime Police of Visakhapatnam City have busted an interstate online betting and money laundering network operating across several States, with suspected transactions exceeding ₹400 crore routed through mule bank accounts.

The case began after a 31-year-old Hyderabad resident complained that he was induced into opening multiple bank accounts, which were later misused for illegal transactions. He reportedly opened and facilitated around 50 to 60 accounts across different banks after being offered small payments.

Police said scrutiny of one linked account revealed transactions of about ₹14 lakh, leading to a wider probe into an organised network.

During the investigation, police arrested an accused in April 2025, whose interrogation provided key leads. Acting on these inputs, a special team conducted searches in Bengaluru in June 2025 and detained 13 persons allegedly involved in betting activities. Officials seized 57 mobile phones, 130 bank passbooks, 33 ATM cards, four laptops, and two currency counting machines.

Probe findings showed that the accused were running online betting operations using digital platforms and messaging applications to circulate links. Bank accounts sourced from multiple States were allegedly used to channel funds.

Further investigation led to the arrest of sub-bookies in January 2026, with the racket found to be operating across Bengaluru, Kolkata, Raipur, Pune, and Goa.

In April 2026, raids in Kolkata resulted in the arrest of the alleged key accused along with associates. Police said the group managed multiple betting platforms and coordinated financial flows through digital systems.

Officials stated that platforms such as ULTRAWIN, FAIRPLAY, CRICWAY, and 4RA BOOK were used to expand the network, with mule accounts reportedly collected through courier services.

Around 224 mule bank accounts have been identified so far. Police said the group used social media platforms to widen its reach and facilitate transactions.

All accused have been remanded to judicial custody. Investigation is continuing to trace remaining links and financial beneficiaries.