Hyderabad: The Cyber Crime Police arrested four people, including a woman from Goa, for their alleged role in a financial network that processed over Rs 26 crore through illegal online gaming and betting platforms, officials said on Thursday, March 26.
The accused were identified as Rajesh Venkata Raman, 48, a Hyderabad-based businessman, Bhamidipati Abhishek, 27, an operations manager from Hyderabad, Augustene Williams, 38, a support staff from Ernakulam in Kerala, and Manmeet Sharma alias Sonya, 40, a web designer and digital marketer from Goa.
The case came to light after a 24-year-old Hyderabad woman lodged a complaint saying she had lost nearly Rs 30 lakh after clicking on a deceptive Instagram advertisement that led her to an online casino platform called y1.game.
According to the police, the victim was first contacted over WhatsApp and lured in with bonuses and early successful withdrawals, which is a classic trust-building tactic. Convinced the platform was legitimate, she began depositing increasing sums through multiple UPI transactions from her Bank of India, State Bank of India (SBI) and Indian Bank accounts.
By the time she realised the fraud, her accounts had been frozen and lien-marked by banks flagging suspicious transactions, leaving her stripped of her savings.
Modus operandi
Behind the operation was a carefully layered financial structure designed to move money and dodge scrutiny, the police said. Rajesh Venkata Raman and one Rushabh Jasvantrai Gandhi, a Gujarat resident currently absconding, were directors of a company called One Stop Shopping Station Private Limited.
The company ran payment gateways under the names CloseX Pay, Trustly Pay and Accult Pay, processing transactions through IMPS, UPI and credit and debit cards, while charging a commission of two to three per cent per transaction.
Rajesh hired Abhishek and Williams to operate the payment gateway transactions. Meanwhile, a Delhi-based accused identified as Andy alias Shaheer opened mule accounts in the names of fictitious companies and passed the know your customer (KYC) details to Sonya, who then forwarded them to Abhishek.
Abhishek, in turn, sent the documents to officials at Suryodaya Bank in Ahmedabad, who allegedly provided payment gateway services in exchange for a 0.75 per cent cut.
Betting deposits flowed into the payment gateway controlled by Rajesh, who collected both his own 5 per cent commission and Sonya’s 5 per cent share before transferring the remaining funds to Andy’s account. In total, the network is alleged to have processed Rs 26,07,01,460 through betting websites.
Police said efforts are underway to trace the money trail and nab the two absconding accused, Andy alias Shaheer and Rushabh Jasvantrai Gandhi.
Laptops, mobile phones seized
The police team recovered four laptops, six mobile phones, nine chequebooks, two shell company stamps and cash of Rs 6.5 lakh from the accused.
Police have advised the public to be wary of online lottery and gaming advertisements on social media that promise easy or guaranteed returns. Online gaming and betting is prohibited under the Telangana Gaming Act, and playing, promoting or organising such activities is unlawful, they said.
