In a significant crackdown on cybercrime, the Cyberabad police, alongside their Special Operations Team (SOT), have successfully apprehended five individuals involved in a large-scale online gaming fraud. This elaborate scheme lured unsuspecting victims with enticing promises of exorbitant returns through deceptive gaming platforms.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Doppalapudi Naveen Kumar, Vankadri Sandeep Kumar, Chintalapati Prudhvi Ramaraju, Chintalapati Pavan Venkata Naga Bharadwaj, and Mamidisetti Ramanjaneyulu.
Cyberabad cybercrimes DCP B. Sai Sri and SOT DCP Shoban Kumar during the press conference about the online gaming fraud racket on Wednesday.
Police investigations revealed that this group acted as a crucial support system for a larger cyber gang. They provided a network of bank accounts and SIM cards, enabling the operation of fraudulent gaming websites. These platforms were designed to trick users with manipulated game outcomes and fabricated profit displays, coercing them into depositing substantial amounts of money. The accused were operating under the guidance of Sathyanarayana Verma, who was reportedly overseeing the financial transactions via a gaming portal named Dodgebook777, hosted on the Supago website. Over 120 bank accounts were allegedly used to funnel these illegal funds, with approximately ₹14 lakh traced so far.
During the arrests, law enforcement officials confiscated a substantial amount of equipment, including two laptops, 30 mobile phones, 32 cheque books, 23 ATM cards, and 48 SIM cards.
Seized electronics include two laptops, 30 mobile phones and keyboards
Seized SIM cards, cheque books
Authorities are issuing a strong warning to citizens, urging them to exercise extreme vigilance and avoid engaging with unverified online betting or gaming platforms. They also emphasized the critical importance of never sharing One-Time Passwords (OTPs), Personal Identification Numbers (PINs), or bank account details with anyone claiming to be from online gaming or investment platforms.