Navi Mumbai :
In a major breakthrough, the Navi Mumbai Crime Branch has busted an online gaming fraud racket and arrested 12 people accused of cheating hundreds of victims through fake gaming platforms.
According to officials, the accused operated an illegal gaming network that falsely claimed to be “government-approved” and promised lucrative returns. The investigation revealed that nearly 393 complaints related to this fraud were registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP).
During the probe, police discovered that the gang used 886 different bank accounts to circulate money collected from unsuspecting players. One of the key accused, 22-year-old Ishan Usmani Minhaz Sheikh, a resident of Sai Nivas Society, Nerul, provided multiple bank accounts to the operators. He was arrested from CBD Belapur railway station.
Investigators also found that the suspects gathered bank kits—including passbooks, ATM cards, SIM cards, and cheque books—from citizens by luring them with promises of extra income. The materials were then sent to Runwal Garden in Dombivli, where the syndicate’s main operations were based.
A case has been registered under the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Maharashtra Gambling Act, and the Online Gaming Regulation and Promotion Act, 2025 (OGRA 2025).
Police said the arrests mark a major step against online fraud and urged people to remain cautious while sharing banking or personal details on digital platforms.
