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Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Police crack betting racket while probing fake kidnapping in Greater Noida
A kidnapping complaint in Rajasthan has helped police uncover a massive illegal cricket betting operation linked to Dubai and Thailand. It all started on June 12, when Subhash Chandra from Alwar reported that his 22-year-old son Bhim Singh and 25-year-old nephew Narayan had been kidnapped. He said the kidnappers demanded ₹7 lakh for their release. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Saad Miya Khan launched an investigation. Using electronic surveillance and local intelligence, the police traced a lead to White Orchid Apartments in Gaur City, Greater Noida. Although Bhim and Narayan weren't found there, police discovered something unexpected — a betting racket. Inside the flat, four young men connected to Bhim were caught. They had two laptops, many mobile phones, fake SIM cards, and forged identity documents. When the police questioned them strictly, they admitted they were running an illegal betting operation using an app called Rudra Cric Live. The trail then led to another flat on the 18th floor of Radha Sky Garden in Greater Noida. There, police found Bhim, Narayan, and two others named Himanshu and Sukhdev. All four confessed they were placing live bets on cricket matches — on things like runs, wickets, and results — through the same app. Live Events In total, eight people aged between 19 and 31 were arrested from the two flats for running and being involved in the illegal betting racket. The police said the betting business was highly organised. Users joined through WhatsApp numbers shared in the app. Each user got a unique ID. Every day, about ₹30 lakh was made in bets, and the money was sent to the main operators sitting in Thailand and Dubai. The group also used social media influencers to promote their betting app, even though it was banned in India. The app would let users win in the beginning to encourage them to place bigger bets — and eventually lose money. Kasna police station SHO Dharmendra Shukla said they have identified about 20 such betting branches in Delhi-NCR. So far, three have been shut down, and the investigation continues. Police are also planning to send notices to the social media influencers who promoted the app. They are now checking the phones, laptops, and bank records of those arrested to understand how big the network is. The illegal betting operation is believed to have been running for about six months. But what about the kidnapping? Turns out, it was fake. Bhim and Narayan had lost around ₹10 lakh from the betting funds. To hide this, they faked their own kidnapping to get money from their families. Their plan worked for a while — the family even paid some money and came to Noida to help the police find them. In the end, the kidnapping complaint turned out to be a trick, but it helped police crack a huge betting racket. [With TOI inputs] Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Indian Express
Probe into ‘kidnapping' blows lid off cricket betting racket with foreign links in Noida
An international cricket betting syndicate operating out of Greater Noida was uncovered following an investigation into a ransom call related to the kidnapping of two youths, the Gautam Buddh Nagar police said Sunday. The Kasna police and a SWAT team, in a joint effort, arrested eight people allegedly involved in the illegal online betting operation using a mobile app managed from Dubai and Thailand. The investigation began on June 12, when Subhash Chandra, a resident of Alwar, Rajasthan, claimed his son Bhim Singh, 22, and nephew Narayan, 25, had been kidnapped. He said he received a call demanding Rs 7 lakh for their release. The two had arrived in Noida for work from their village approximately 15 to 20 days prior. This was not their first time working in Noida, but their family had no information about the nature of their job, the police said. When the police tracked Bhim's phone location to Cherry County and later to White Orchid apartments in Gaur City, the truth began to unravel. Officers discovered a group of young men closely associated with Bhim living in rented flats. Upon raiding one of the apartments, the police apprehended four people and recovered laptops, dozens of mobile phones, SIM cards, fake Aadhaar cards, chequebooks, and registers — all pointing to a sophisticated operation through an app, Rudra Cric Live. The arrested accused confessed to conducting ball-by-ball betting during live cricket matches — on everything from runs to wicket falls. The racket was allegedly being run internationally, with handlers based abroad supplying fake documents and SIM cards. The team reportedly handled daily transactions of Rs 30 lakh, which they transferred to accounts provided by their overseas handlers, according to the police. The four arrested accused guided the police to Radha Sky Gardens, where Bhim and Narayan were present in the racket's second racket. 'All eight of us do cricket batting work; all our work is done through laptops and mobiles. We are provided with SIM cards using fake names and addresses, fake accounts and related documents by our boss, who resides in Thailand and Dubai and oversees us from there. We transfer the daily sum of around Rs 30 lakh to the accounts given by him,' Bhim was quoted as saying by the police. During questioning, he also admitted that the kidnapping story had been fabricated to scare and extort money from his own family, said the police. Addressing the press, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Greater Noida) Saad Miya Khan said, 'Those two men for whom the kidnapping complaint was filed are also involved in this betting racket. They made a miscalculation, which led them to devise a plan with their managers. The plan involved staging their own kidnapping and demanding money from their family members. This way, they hoped to recover a loss of Rs 10 lakh.' Giving information on the betting racket, he added, 'They have almost 20 branches in Delhi-NCR, and they operate on cricket match days; there are three boys in every branch who initiate this betting, and there are some managers. All this is salary-based. This app is banned in India, but it is being promoted through some influencers and online pop-ups, to whom notice will be served.' The police filed a case under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Public Gambling Act, and the Information Technology (IT) Act at the Kasna police station.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Time of India
How kidnap plan to cover up fraud lifted the veil off international betting racket
NOIDA: A routine investigation into a kidnapping complaint last week has led cops to an international betting operation worth crores. The discovery came after a father from Alwar in Rajasthan frantically reported his son's kidnapping, unknowingly setting in motion a probe that would expose the gambling syndicate with roots in Thailand and Dubai. It was on June 12 that Subhash Chandra reported the alleged kidnapping of his son Bhim Singh (22) and nephew Narayan (25). The kidnappers, he claimed, had demanded Rs 7 lakh for the duo's release. DCP Saad Miya Khan said he initiated an investigation to track the kidnappers, combining electronic surveillance with ground intelligence. The trail led the cops to White Orchid Apartments in Gaur City area. Although they did not find the kidnapped duo there, the cops stumbled upon an illegal betting ring running from a flat. "We found four youths who were linked to Bhim, the man we were trying to trace. They had two laptops, around a dozen mobile phones, several illegal SIM cards, forged Aadhaar cards and other such IDs. When we questioned them hard, we learnt they were engaged in a betting racket through an app called Rudra Cric Live," Khan said. The four youths at White Orchid led police to an 18th-floor flat at Radha Sky Garden in Greater Noida. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo "Here, we found Bhim, his cousin Narayan, and two others named Himanshu and Sukhdev. They admitted to placing bets on real-time cricket events, such as run totals, wicket falls, and match outcomes, through the Rudra Cric Live app," the DCP said. Bhim and Narayan were among eight persons - aged between 19 and 31 years - arrested in connection with the betting racket from the two flats. The syndicate's sophistication was evident in its structure. Operating through WhatsApp numbers advertised on their app, the accused assigned unique IDs to users betting on live cricket matches. The daily proceeds, around Rs 30 lakh, were channelled to handlers in Thailand and Dubai through a network of transactions. The probe also lifted the veil off the gang's marketing strategy, which included partnering with social media influencers to promote their app, despite it being banned in India. The algorithm was designed to let users win initially, luring them into bigger bets and eventual losses. "We've identified around 20 branches of this syndicate operating in Delhi-NCR alone. This investigation has helped us shut down three branches, but we're pursuing the entire network," said Dharmendra Shukla, the SHO of Kasna police station. DCP Khan said that summons would be issued to the social media influencers involved in promoting Rudra Cric Live. Police, he said, are now scanning electronic devices and bank accounts of the accused to map the extent of the operation, which had been active for almost six months. But what about the 'kidnapping' complaint and ransom call? Cops said, it was an elaborate ruse orchestrated by the 'victims' themselves. Bhim and Narayan, who had allegedly misappropriated funds from the gambling operation, planned their own abduction to cover up the fraud and recover money from their families. "Bhim admitted he and his cousin used up around Rs 10 lakh. So, to make up for the losses, they created a fake kidnapping scenario, thinking it would scare their families into sending money. Their relatives in Rajasthan did pay some amount and arrived in Noida to pursue the matter with police," Khan said.
