Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 24 : Kangra police have registered a case against six people for their alleged involvement in operating an online betting racket through online gaming platforms and seized 41 mobile phones and seven laptops during a raid at a house in Birta near Kangra, SP Kulbhushan Verma told ANI.
Superintendent of Police Kangra Kulbhushan Verma said the police acted on a tip-off received on October 22 regarding suspicious activities on the second floor of a house in Birta, where six people were allegedly operating online gaming platforms and collecting money from users through multiple bank accounts.
“Acting on the information, a police team raided the premises and recovered 41 mobile phones and seven laptops from the six people present there. During questioning, it emerged that they were allegedly facilitating online betting through gaming applications and receiving money from people across the country through different bank accounts linked to UPI IDs and QR codes,” Verma told ANI.
The six people have been identified as Lavlesh (25) and Sagar Chaudhary (27), residents of Kangra district; Aryan (20), a resident of Nagrota Bagwan in Kangra; and Manoj Kumar Mehta (28), Pankaj Pandit (31) and Vivek Kumar (27), all residents of Bihar.
According to the SP, the accused allegedly collected UPI IDs and QR codes linked to bank accounts from different parts of the country to facilitate financial transactions related to online betting. Police suspect that these accounts were being used as mule accounts to route and accumulate substantial amounts of money.
Verma said the six individuals were being questioned to establish the extent of their involvement and trace the money trail. During interrogation, they allegedly disclosed that another person from the Nagrota area had provided them with the mobile phones and laptops. Police have called that person for questioning, he added.
The SP said investigators were examining the financial transactions to determine where the money collected through the alleged betting operation was being transferred, including whether any funds were routed to foreign bank accounts or whether individuals based abroad were involved in running the operation.
“We have sought details from the banks concerned, and the investigation into the money trail is underway. There is a possibility that the money could be going to foreign accounts or that someone sitting abroad could be facilitating the betting activity. However, this aspect is still being investigated,” Verma said.
Police are also investigating the source of the seized electronic devices, as the individuals have so far been unable to provide satisfactory information about their purchase. Investigators are examining the possibility that some of the devices could have been stolen.
A case has been registered at Kangra police station under Sections 317(2), 317(5) and 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to offences involving stolen property and cheating.
The seized mobile phones and laptops are being examined, while investigators are gathering information about the gaming platforms, bank accounts, UPI IDs, QR codes and suspected financial transactions. Further investigation is underway to establish whether other individuals, including any alleged foreign-based operators, were involved in the racket.