19 hours ago
Online betting scam: Influencers in Telugu states earn crores of rupees by luring punters; five held, more under probe
Cricket betting influencers in Telugu states are under scrutiny for receiving substantial payments from betting websites
HYDERABAD:
Cricket betting influencers
from the two Telugu states have been receiving huge payments from websites for directing punters by promising guaranteed match result tips on social media. One influencer even used the money to produce a Telugu movie.
In the last week of June, police arrested Valluri Srinivasa Rao (32), following a complaint from a 23-year-old from Miyapur who lost Rs 3.18 lakh within fifteen days on cricket bets. During interrogation, cops found Rao had spent Rs 40 lakh to produce a Telugu movie and even produced several music videos for his YouTube channel.
Rao admitted to opening a dry fruits shop in Manikonda. He revealed that the website he promoted paid him up to Rs 3 lakh monthly and he had earned about Rs 1 crore in commissions from betting sites in the past five years.
Prior to becoming a betting influencer, Rao was supervisor in a private company in LB Nagar, earning a monthly salary of Rs 15,000. Ch Naga Rakesh, another influencer, had since 2020 earned Rs 1.7 crore in commissions from cricket betting sites by promoting them through his three Telegram channels with 60,000 followers.
Another influencer, P Deepak, a software engineer with 80,000 followers on his Telegram channel, was also arrested recently. A native of Jagtial, Deepak, earned Rs 55 lakh by promoting betting sites, police said.
DCP (cyber crime) B Sai Sri said, 'The accused were being paid lakhs by betting platforms to lure victims. We are trying to find details of website operators.'
