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Hyderabad Police's Cyber crime unit has arrested four people for allegedly being involved in an online betting fraud worth atleast Rs 1.5 crore, officials informed on Wednesday.
According to officials, the accused supplied SIM cards in the names of their family members and friends, which were used in online betting and gaming frauds through fake social media advertisements. The accused had allegedly approached a person pretending to be from a betting platform "BETINEXCHANGE". The accused have been identified as Mohammed Syeed Uddin (26), Mohd Tajuddin (31), Mohd Younis (25), and MD Ayub (24). Police said that Uddin had worked for a call centre in Dubai, and contacted other members to acquire some SIM cards. Based on the complaint, a case was registered under Sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act, Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of BNS, and Sections 3 and 4 of the Telangana Gaming Act, and the matter is under investigation. According to the police, the accused had contacted the complainant and promised him high and guaranteed profits. Originally, after depositing atleast Rs 20,000, the complainant had received some profit as a way to build trust with the alleged fraudsters. "They persuaded him to participate in online betting games such as Cricket Betting, Teen Patti, and Casino games, promising high and guaranteed profits. Initially, he deposited 20,001 and received 5,000 profit, which built trust in the platform. Encouraged by continuous persuasion and support from the fraudsters, he made multiple deposits through bank accounts, UPI IDs, QR codes, and cash deposit machines provided by them," according to an official statement. Between 2025 and January 2026, the victim had deposited approximately 1.5 crore in several transactions from his own and his wife's bank accounts. "Although he initially received about 20 lakh as profit, he later suffered heavy losses and ultimately lost the entire amount. Whenever he tried to withdraw money, the fraudsters misled him and redirected him to various interconnected betting platforms," the police said. The police are currently investigating the matter to trace the money trail, freeze additional accounts, and apprehend the absconding accused. Atleast 5 mobile phones have been seized by the police in the case as further investigation continues. (ANI)
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