Raipur:The Anti-Crime and Cyber Unit (ACCU) and Raipur Police have dismantled an inter-state syndicate operating illegal payment gateway panels for online cricket betting. Following coordinated raids in Raipur and Goa, 7 persons were arrested for managing transactions across India and abroad.
Police Deputy Commissioner (Crime and Cyber) Smritik Rajnala and Police Deputy Commissioner (West Zone) Sandeep Patel monitored the operation. Acting on a tip-off on 25 February 2026, a joint team intercepted a vehicle near Muktidham in the New Rajendra Nagar area. Two suspects, Pratik Kumar Vidhwani and Sanky Dewda, both residents of Amlidih, were apprehended.
Digital trail to Goa
Inspections of their mobile phones revealed master IDs for betting sites such as 23exch9.com and allpenalexch.com. The duo was also managing ‘Gateway WhatsApp‘ groups to facilitate deposits and withdrawals for punters. Interrogations led the police to a rented setup in Goa, where five more associates were operating a similar gateway office.
The arrested individuals from the Goa unit include Dhananjay Vaishnav, Saket Jagwani, Pramod Kumar Orke, Prakash Chandra Miri, and Shankar Kumar Ram.
Money laundering through cryptocurrency
Investigations revealed that the accused used 431 mule bank accounts to funnel illegal funds. The syndicate converted betting proceeds into cryptocurrency to transfer money to international panel operators. So far, the police have tracked 46,500 USDT (approximately ₹42 lakh) sent to crypto wallets.
The accused used international numbers to communicate and managed groups under names like ‘Jaydev Group‘ and ‘JMK Group‘. Pratik Kumar, one of the main accused, has a prior record of imprisonment for similar offences.
Seizures and legal action
The police seized assets worth ₹22.14 lakh during the operation, including:
- 58 mobile phones and iPhones (53 linked to bank accounts)
- 5 laptops and 1 tablet
- 12 ATM cards, 3 routers, and 4 passbooks
- One Baleno car and ₹24,600 in cash
A case (Crime No. 89/26) has been registered at New Rajendra Nagar police station under Section 7 of the Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2022, and Section 112 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
In 2026 alone, the ACCU has arrested 22 persons across five online betting cases, seizing property worth over ₹2.14 crore. Police are currently identifying customers who used these IDs to place bets for further legal action.
