Amravati/Nagpur: An interstate cyber racket that exploited bank accounts of poor labourers and daily wage workers for large-scale illegal online gaming, involving transactions of Rs 6.25 crore was busted by Amravati rural police on Tuesday. The lid was blown off after a police raid at a high-end apartment in south Goa, where 12 people, including a woman, were arrested.Acting on a complaint received by SP Niketan Kadam, a case was registered at Shirkhed police station and 64 bank passbooks, 147 ATM cards, 19 cheque books, 198 SIM cards, 52 mobile handsets, 9 laptops and 3 tablets worth a total of Rs 11 lakh were seized. Investigations revealed that 64 bank accounts were misused — all have been frozen. Multiple cyber complaints from various states are linked to these accounts. The cyber cell took over the probe and formed multiple teams for technical analysis and surveillance. After detailed technical investigation and confidential inputs, a squad conducted a raid in Goa and made the arrests.The arrested include Devchand Meshram (26) from Jamdol village in Amravati district, Prem Dilip Khilare (21) from Nalasopara, Aniket Maske (24), Yogesh Irpate (31), Pritam Ingle (22) from Amravati areas, and others from Hingoli, Uttar Pradesh (Amethi) and Madhya Pradesh.Three more accused, including Rakesh Kumar Jamnani from Amravati, are on the run. The entire operation was monitored by SP Niketan Kadam and led by police inspector Vilaskumar Sanap. Amravati rural police appealed to citizens not to surrender their bank accounts, ATM cards, Aadhaar or mobile numbers for petty cash incentives. They have also warned people against sharing OTPs with strangers as such accounts are frequently misused in online gaming, digital arrest scams and money laundering.
