Crime in Odisha / Ganjam Cyber Police Bust Online Betting Racket, Three Arrested

Berhampur, Sep 20: Ganjam Cyber Police busted a major interstate online betting racket, arresting three people and seizing a large cache of electronic devices, banking documents, and identity proofs, police said on Sunday.

The arrested accused were identified as Shatrughna Kumar Pandey (26) of Jharkhand, Dharamdas Manikpuri (30) of Chhattisgarh, and Jagadish Sethi alias Suraj (30) of Chhatrapur in Odisha. According to police, the trio had rented a house in Palurgada under Rambha police limits, from where they operated illegal betting apps

Investigators said the accused lured unsuspecting people with promises of high returns, encouraging them to deposit money through online platforms. Acting on credible intelligence, the cyber police raided the premises, during which several suspects fled, but three were apprehended.

The raid led to the seizure of two HP laptops, one Lenovo Chromebook, 78 ATM/debit cards, 16 bank passbooks, 14 smartphones, 86 SIM cards, and a Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle. Police also recovered PAN cards, Aadhaar cards, and other financial documents belonging to different individuals.

The accused were found to be running operations through a WhatsApp group named “JD Bhaiya (FP Hisab Group)” and were linked to betting platforms such as Reddyplay11, Hash777, 100panel, Fairplay, and Digitalpp.onelink.me. Preliminary examination of mobile devices revealed IDs, passwords, and transaction records associated with these platforms.
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Officials said the racket had interstate links, with networks spanning Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. The seized documents are being scrutinised to ascertain how they were procured and whether identity theft was involved.

Cyber police have launched a deeper probe into the financial transactions, the wider network of associates, and the extent of fraud committed. Authorities stressed that online betting apps continue to pose a serious threat, exploiting gullible citizens and undermining financial security.