Scam victim turns whistleblower: Hyderabad MBA graduate ends influencers' 'betting' innings; helps cops bust racket after losing Rs 50 lakh, friend to suicide
HYDERABAD: After losing over Rs 50 lakh and a close friend, an MBA graduate from Hyderabad has turned whistleblower helping cops' crackdown on online cricket betting. In June, the Cyberabad police filed two FIRs and arrested five online influencers for allegedly luring thousands of Telugu youth to sites promoting this illegal trade.
The FIRs were lodged based on a month-long investigation carried out by the 27-year-old who recently returned to the city from Italy. He has two master's degrees — in management and IT — and decided to take on the fraudsters after he himself fell prey to the menace. His friend, who lost Rs 60 lakh to betting, died by suicide.
You Can Also Check:
Hyderabad AQI
|
Weather in Hyderabad
|
Bank Holidays in Hyderabad
|
Public Holidays in Hyderabad
'I had not only invested my own money but even borrowed funds from friends to feed my addiction,' said the whistleblower sharing how it all started in Dec 2023 when he and a friend, while browsing Instagram reels in Italy, came across advertisements offering a 'guaranteed toss-fix' for cricket matches.
'I clicked the link and joined the Telegram channel 'The Mars Toss,' he said.
There he found one of the accused, Pottavathini Deepak, offering cricket match outcomes and encouraging members to place bets through offshore websites recommended by him.
'Unable to not cope with the losses, manipulation, and lies from influencers, my friend died by suicide at his residence in Bhopal in Dec 2024,' the whistleblower said.
Shaken, the Hyderabad youth started investigating the influencers' activities. He joined their Tele g ram channels and identified patterns. 'All of them are deceitful. They convince victims that they have access to cricket teams and can fix tosses and matches,' the whistleblower told TOI.
He added: 'Occasionally, some predictions come true leading them to create reels boasting their fabricated successes. They work for various betting sites, receiving fixed monthly payments up to Rs 10 lakh depending on their social media and Telegram channel followers.
They actively promote betting websites.'
Posing as a representative of betting sites, he contacted influencers and obtained their personal details. With this evidence, he approached Miyapur inspector K Kranthi Kumar in June who directed him to cybercrime police.
'All I want is to prevent more people from falling victim to deceit. They are knowingly cheating lakhs of Telugu youth. I am grateful to Cyberabad police for acting swiftly and arresting some of the fraudsters,' the young man told TOI.
'He played a proactive role in identifying the accused and bringing their details to our notice,' said a senior police official. A few initial bets were successful, so I continued and started investing more and more money. By May 2025, when I placed the last bets, I had lost over lakh
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
16 minutes ago
- India Today
Devendra Fadnavis orders probe into hotel deal involving Shinde Sena minister's son
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday announced a high-level inquiry to ascertain any irregularities in the tendering process to auction a hotel in Chhatrapati Sena MLA and state minister Sanjay Shirsat had come under fire after the opposition pointed out that his son's company was one of the three Danve, leader of the opposition in the legislative council, raised the issue through a calling attention The VITS Hotel in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar belonged to Dhanda Corporation, a company listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. The properties of the Dhanada Corporation, including the VITS Hotel, were seized under the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (in Financial Establishments) Act, court ordered the auction of the hotel. Accordingly, the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar collectorate conducted to the government-registered valuer's report in December 2018, the value of the hotel was Rs 75.92 crore. In 2025, when the property is being auctioned, the value is pegged as per the 2018 valuation. The value of the hotel is Rs 150 crore now as per private valuers, Danve alleged the lack of transparency in the auction process. He said three companies joined the process including M/s Siddhant Material Procurement and Suppliers Company. He said the company belongs to Maharashtra Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat's son alleged that the company's registration form states that it had applied for registration in 2024 but has not yet been alleged cartelisation in the tendering process. M/s Siddhant Material Procurement and Suppliers Company bid for the company at the price of Rs 47 crore. The next two bidders bid with a difference of just Rs 5 lakh each- at Rs 46.95 and Rs 46.90 crore."This is a fraud and the government is being defrauded in a big way. Sidhant Shirsat is the son of Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat. There is no ITR. What action will be taken against the government officer who allowed this irregularity," Danve said Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule had stated that the entire process has been scrapped and a new process will be initiated to float fresh tenders."There will be a high-level inquiry to probe if there are any irregularities in this case to ensure transparency," he said the tender and the process have been cancelled. He said tenders were floated six times in the past but no bid was received. In the process, the base price and conditions kept coming said new tender will be on the council, Shirsat stated that the tender had been floated six times in the past but received no bid. He also said the tendering process was being carried out as per the court's flak, Shirsat last month said he was asking his son Siddhant to withdraw from the race to procure a hotel.- EndsTune InMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Maharashtra
New Indian Express
34 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Maharashtra CM Fadnavis orders probe into Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat's hotel purchase
MUMBAI: In a big blow to Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday ordered a high-level inquiry against Shinde-led Shiv Sena's minister Sanjay Shirsat and his son for buying a Rs 110-crore luxury hotel for just Rs 67 crore in Sambhaji Nagar. It was alleged that Shirsat and his son, Siddhant Shirsat, undervalued the VITS Hotel and bought it by rigging the tender process. The Opposition had raised the issue and demanded a probe. Fadnavis said that Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule had already announced the cancellation of the tender process. The CM said, 'We will ensure that a new bid for this VITS Hotel auction is opened. However, to investigate any potential violations and irregularities in the tender process, we have decided to conduct a high-level probe to uncover the truth. Transparency has to be maintained in such a process.' Shiv Sena MLC and Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danave raised the matter in the Legislative Council. Danave alleged that the firm of the Sena minister's son, which bought the VITS Hotel, was not even registered and was therefore ineligible to participate in the bidding process. Still, it participated and won the bid, and illegally, he claimed Danave said it was revealed that the Sena minister's son used fraudulent documents to show his firm was eligible to enter the tender process. 'The government officials who are involved in this illegal deal have to be punished, and action should be taken against them. We want justice, and we expect CM Fadnavis to do justice,' he said. Sanjay Shirsat tried to defend himself and his son on the floor of the House, claiming that the allegations against both of them are baseless. He said that they had already announced their withdrawal from the deal.
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Cop got Rs 35L salary in 12 years without training and never reporting to work
BHOPAL: In a bizarre incident, a police constable drew a salary of around Rs 35 lakh in 12 years, despite neither reporting for duty nor undergoing the mandatory training after his recruitment in 2011-2012. A native of central MP's Vidisha district, Abhishek was among those recruited as constables in the state police in 2011-12. He appeared at the Bhopal District Lines for joining much later than other constables of his batch. He was subsequently sent for mandatory training at the Police Training School in Sagar district after induction into the police force. However, instead of going for training, Abhishek went to his home in the neighbouring Vidisha district and neither underwent training nor reported for duty for 12 long years. During his entire period of undue absence from duty, he neither informed the department about it nor did he ever apply for leave, yet he managed to get the monthly salary for 12 long years. Abhishek then sent his service file through the speed post to Bhopal, citing ill health. Surprisingly, his service file was accepted by the department concerned in Bhopal without any verification, resulting in Abhishek receiving Rs 35 lakh as salary over the next 12 years. The shocking irregularity came to light in 2023, when service records were being reviewed as part of the mandatory exercise for the 10-year-time scale pay grade of the 2011-12 batch constables. 'The service record check revealed no rewards, no punishments and no duty records, which was outlandish. He (Abhishek) was summoned by the department's establishment branch, after which he finally appeared, making it clear he had not served the police even a single day,' said ACP-Bhopal Ankita Khaterkar, who is probing the matter. He has already returned Rs 1 lakh to the department and promised to pay back in instalments the salary drawn in 12 years. A departmental probe is underway.
