Indian police make 14 arrests in online betting crackdown
Police in India have arrested 14 people across three states as part of an investigation into the Mahadev betting platform.
The arrests relate to the use of online portals called ‘panels’ to make bets. Those arrested have been accused of running three panels, known as L96 Lotus, Lotus 651, and Lotus 656 to accept bets on the Indian Premier League.
The arrests were made in Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Assam, though the majority of those arrested came from Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
According to the Senior Superintendent of Police for Raipur, Lal Umed Singh, three of the arrested had bought the panels from the Mahadev platform owner with the help of a fourth suspect.
In addition to the arrests, police took 67 phones, 94 ATM cards, 15 SIM cards, 32 bank passbooks, four routers, eight laptops, and a security camera, along with Rs30 lakh in cash.
Senior Superintendent of Police Singh said that the arrests were part of a broader crackdown, which included action in conjunction with the banking system.
“So far, we have frozen 500 bank accounts with transactions worth crores. We have written to banks to freeze a total of 1,500 bank accounts of accused and bettors, with crores of transactions, which include Mahadev app and other gambling apps too,” Singh explained.
Charlotte Capewell brings her passion for storytelling and expertise in writing, researching, and the gambling industry to every article she writes. Her specialties include the US gambling industry, regulator legislation, igaming, and more.
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