Hyderabad cybercrime police arrest four in Rs 1.5 crore online betting fraud

Hyderabad Cybercrime police arrested four men for supplying SIM cards used in an online betting fraud that cheated a city resident of Rs 1.5 crore. The victim was lured through WhatsApp promotions and fake profits before fraudsters blocked withdrawals.

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Cybercrime police on Wednesday arrested four persons for allegedly being involved in online betting fraud by cheating a citizen to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore.

The arrested persons were identified as Mohd Syeed Uddin alias Farid, Mohd Tajuddin, Mohd Younis alias Arbaaz and MD Ayub. All are residents of Charminar.

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According to police, the suspects had supplied SIM cards registered in the names of their relatives and friends, which were later used by a larger criminal network running illegal online betting operations. The SIM cards were used to circulate promotional messages and advertisements for betting platforms through social media and messaging apps.

“Syeed Uddin had earlier worked in a cricket betting call centre in Dubai and later collected SIM cards through the other suspects by paying Rs 600 for each card,” police said.

He allegedly supplied around 250 SIM cards to a person identified as Mudassir from Gujarat, who paid him Rs 1,200 per SIM card. The cards were then used for running online betting frauds.

A 36-year-old man from the city became their latest victim. He received WhatsApp messages and calls in 2025 promoting a betting platform. After initially investing Rs 20,001 and receiving a small profit, he was persuaded to continue betting on online cricket betting and casino games.

“The victim made multiple deposits through bank accounts, UPI IDs and QR codes, eventually investing around Rs 1.5 crore from his and his wife’s bank accounts. Though he initially received about Rs 20 lakh as returns, he later lost the entire amount as the fraudsters blocked withdrawals,” Cybercrime officials said.

Based on his complaint, the Cybercrime police booked a case and traced and nabbed the suspects.

Officials said efforts continue to trace the money trail and nab other suspects involved in the racket.