Illegal online gambling | Enforcement Directorate arrests two residents of Kolkata

Illegal gaming activities and siphoning of huge sums of money via clandestine networks alleged

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested two residents of Kolkata on the charge of operating multiple groups on an online gaming app, which comprised several clubs that facilitated placing of illegal bets.

The accused have been identified as Hardeep Singh and Ankur aka Rahul Khanna. They allegedly operated groups on “PP Poker Online Gaming App”. The agency has got their custody for questioning for eight days.

The arrests have been made in a money laundering probe initiated on the basis of a case registered by the Goa police under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Goa, Daman and Diu Public Gambling Act and the Information Technology Act. It alleged illegal gaming activities and siphoning of huge sums of money via clandestine networks, causing loss to the government exchequer.

The ED found that the two accused were operating groups named “Checkraise”, “Mini-India” and “Russian Poker” on the app. Under each group, about 25 to 30 clubs were being run by different individuals. Through these clubs, individual players would be invited via WhatsApp chats for placing illegal bets.

Commissions ranging from 5 to 10% were generated by these clubs on each table running in the groups. The settlement of the commission and the betting amounts with the players and group head by their respective club managers was done mainly through the ‘hawala’ operators in cash or via cryptocurrency.

Earlier, the ED had conducted searches on April 6 on the residential premises of the two main accused and other club managers/agents in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Goa.