The Government Railway Police (GRP) have busted an inter-state gang allegedly involved in online betting on IPL matches, arresting five individuals from Delhi, Narsinghpur, and Jabalpur. The arrests were made following an investigation triggered by a complaint from a man who claimed he had been tricked into providing his Aadhaar and PAN card details under the false pretense of receiving government welfare aid.
According to Jabalpur GRP Inspector Balram Yadav, the gang had opened 40 bank accounts to launder money generated from betting and online gaming. “Illegal transactions in these accounts ranged from ?10,000 to ?1 lakh,” Yadav said, adding that the police are now searching for other suspects linked to the racket.
The investigation began when the complainant reported that an individual, Shubham Lodhi, had approached him at Madan Mahal railway station in Jabalpur, promising government benefits in exchange for his identification documents. This led to Lodhi’s arrest, which subsequently led police to another accused, Shubham Sharma, a resident of Narsinghpur district.
Further interrogations uncovered links to Sanjeev Arora in Delhi, as well as Rishi Kapoor and Lakhan Thakur in Jabalpur. Police seized multiple ATM cards and SIM cards linked to various bank accounts used for the illicit transactions.
The accused have been booked under Section 318(4) (cheating) and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita for criminal conspiracy.
