Etawah (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 15 (ANI): Etawah Police on Thursday busted an alleged four-member interstate gang accused of cheating more than 500 people of crores of rupees through online gaming and betting operations, police officials said.
Senior Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Srivastava said that the four arrested suspects were identified as Anshul, alias Hansu Tiwari, Rakhi Ranawat, Ankit Mishra and Mohit.
Two of them are from Etawah district, one from Mainpuri and the fourth from Auraiya.
The operation was conducted by the Civil Lines police station in coordination with the Special Operations Group (SOG) and surveillance teams.
Police recovered 16 mobile phones, 42 ATM and debit cards, six fake SIM cards, a laptop, bank passbooks, cheque books and identity documents from the accused. A register containing details of their transactions was also seized.
Two vehicles, allegedly purchased with the proceeds of the fraud, were also seized, Srivastava said during a press conference.
According to the SSP, the accused allegedly lured villagers with promises of commissions and collected their identity documents to obtain SIM cards and open bank accounts in their names. They then allegedly used these SIM cards and accounts to operate online gaming and betting activities, routing the proceeds through the accounts before withdrawing cash using ATM cards.
The gang members allegedly divided the money among themselves and sometimes transferred it to other accounts.
“Based on the documents we’ve found so far, over 500 people have been scammed by them. However, this number could go up. They’ve been active for the last 8 to 10 months,” the SSP said.
He added that the gang temporarily suspended its operations whenever its members sensed police pressure, feared arrest, or learnt of a complaint before resuming their activities.
The gang allegedly operated through various gaming applications, as part of its wider network.
Srivastava said investigators suspected that more people were involved in the operation and that their identities would be established during the investigation.
Police would also invoke the Gangster Act against the accused and initiate proceedings to confiscate properties allegedly acquired through criminal activities, he added.
The SSP further said that the police personnel involved in the operation would be rewarded with Rs 20,000 in recognition of their work. He credited the SOG and surveillance teams with gathering key intelligence, with the Civil Lines police station also playing a role in the operation. (ANI)
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