An Indian software engineer reported to the police after losing nearly 1 million rupees on the online betting platform Dafabet—unexpectedly, this call led to the exposure of an underground financial empire spanning multiple states, 46 bank accounts, and an 8-layer transfer chain. According to the PASA official website, as the Telangana State Criminal Investigation Department followed the clues, a secret channel designed to funnel gambling funds to overseas betting platforms was thoroughly uncovered.
11 suspects arrested with clear division of labor, 46 accounts and 8-layer transfer split the gambling funds
The case occurred in Karimnagar city, Telangana. The police operation covered New Delhi, Gujarat, and Punjab, arresting 11 suspects—with a very clear division of labor: 2 core coordinators, 3 middlemen specializing in acquiring or borrowing bank accounts, 2 members responsible for registering shell companies, and 4 technical support staff. At the scene, 3 luxury cars, 8 laptops, 26 mobile phones, and a large amount of cash were seized. The victim's betting funds were not deposited into a single account, but were quickly split into 46 different bank accounts, continuously transferred through an 8-layer transfer chain—the more layers it passed, the harder it was to trace. The police eventually pieced together the entire organizational structure through bank transaction records, electronic device data, and encrypted communication chat records. The gang used a large number of dummy accounts and shell companies as "transfer stations" to split and transfer the gambler's funds to the overseas betting system, evading regulatory scrutiny.
225 complaints and 73 criminal cases, Telangana blocks 108 betting Apps
This case is just the tip of the iceberg. According to data from the Indian National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, this financial network has been linked to at least 225 formal complaints and 73 criminal cases, with victims across Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. In recent years, Telangana has intensified its crackdown—registering 414 illegal gambling cases, coordinating the blocking of 108 betting apps, and implementing regional access restrictions on another 37 platforms. At the same time, 25 public figures (including film stars and social media influencers) have been put on a watch list, as the police believe they have been involved in promoting unauthorized betting platforms. Although no formal charges have been filed yet, a clear warning has been issued: continued involvement in promoting illegal gambling may lead to criminal liability in the future.
Dafabet: 20 years old brand + Premier League sponsor, the gray side under the halo
The involved platform Dafabet is not an unknown entity. Originating from the Philippines, it has been operating for over 20 years, holding a gambling license from the Cagayan Economic Zone in the Philippines, and also conducting business in the UK, Malta, and other locations, having sponsored Premier League teams and the Scottish powerhouse Celtic—the brand image is glamorous. However, in India, its operational logic is not new: promoting cricket betting, online casinos, and popular games like "Aviator" through online advertising, playing on "easy money" and "quick returns" to attract user registration. Initially, the platform might even arrange withdrawals smoothly when bets are small, making it seem reliable; but once larger bets are placed, funds are quickly transferred, making recovery extremely difficult—many realize too late that they have fallen into a trap. As the police continue to dig deeper into the financial and promotional chains, this investigation triggered by an engineer's call may yet reveal more secrets behind the cross-border gambling industry.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leader" gambling news channel: https://t.me/pasa_news
Original deep gambling channel: https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data report: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
