Betting Fraud Busted in Hyderabad, Four Arrested

Four people allegedly involved in supplying SIM cards for online betting and gaming frauds were arrested in Hyderabad, police said on Wednesday. Cyber Crime Police took action after a 36-year-old man from the city filed a complaint claiming that he lost nearly ₹1.5 crore in an online cricket betting scam. After receiving the complaint, investigators began examining the activities of several suspects who might have supported the illegal betting network. The probe gradually revealed that a group of people helped fraudsters run betting operations by arranging SIM cards and enabling communication with potential victims across different regions.

During the investigation, police found that the accused collected SIM cards registered in the names of their family members and acquaintances. The group then handed over these SIM cards to fraudsters who used them for betting activities and for contacting victims through different phone numbers. In addition, the network circulated fake advertisements on social media platforms to promote illegal cricket betting websites. Because of these advertisements, many users believed the platforms were genuine and decided to invest money. Investigators believe the SIM cards helped the fraudsters expand their network and approach a large number of victims without revealing their real identities.

SIM cards collected and sent to Dubai

Police said one of the accused earlier worked at a cricket betting call centre in Dubai. After returning to India, he contacted several people in his locality and asked them to arrange SIM cards for him. He promised to pay about ₹600 for each SIM card. Because of this offer, some people agreed and provided SIM cards registered in the names of their relatives and friends. The accused then collected those cards and stored them for further use in the betting network.

Later, three other accused helped him gather additional SIM cards from different sources. They collected the cards and handed them to him so he could deliver them to other members of the network. After that, he travelled to Dubai and supplied nearly 250 SIM cards to associates involved in online betting operations. In return, he received around ₹1,200 for each SIM card. Investigators said the network used these SIM cards to run online cricket betting platforms and other illegal gambling activities that targeted victims from different parts of the country.

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Fake betting website used to trap victims

During the probe, investigators also discovered that other members of the network created a fake betting website to trap victims. They contacted people while pretending to work as customer care executives for the platform. First, they called potential victims and claimed that the website offered safe betting services with high profit opportunities. Then they guided the victims through the process of creating accounts and placing bets. Because of these conversations, many victims began to trust the platform and deposited large sums of money.

However, the fraudsters later manipulated betting results and blocked withdrawal requests from the victims. As a result, many people could not withdraw the money they had invested. The accused continued to mislead victims by promising high returns and constant support. At present, police teams are tracing the money trail and examining several bank accounts linked to the fraud. Meanwhile, investigators are also trying to locate the remaining accused and recover the funds lost in the scam.

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