Three online gamblers playing poker on Parkingplay were arrested in Bengaluru and Rs 1,700 was seized amid the Covid-19 lockdown, an official said on Thursday.
"Central Crime Branch (CCB) detects gambling being done through an online poker game portal Parkingplaya, three accused arrested," Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner, Crime, tweeted.
CCB Deputy Commissioner of Police Kuldeep Jain said Muniraju, 26, Shankarappa, 45 and Mohammed Babir, 45 were arrested in Banaswadi.
The officials had received a tip on the online gambling racket and the accused have been booked under Karnataka Police Act Section 87. He said local intelligence and the help of police technical wing help in cracking down on online gamblers.
Lockdown spikes online gambling
With the nation put under lockdown for over a month now, there's a rise in the number of digital crimes. Besides cyberattacks, the crime branch has witnessed an unprecedented spike in online gambling.
In response to Patil's tweet about nabbing the online gamblers in Bengaluru, users have shared tips on other online gambling sites. One of the tips pointed to one Lotus Book, which conducts online betting on various sporting events, including cricket, soccer, tennis and more, the website lotusbook247 revealed.
As per the tip, Lotus Book is operated from Mumbai and they reportedly indulge in hacking. IBTimes India hasn't been able to verify the authenticity of the tip offered by a Twitter user at the time of this writing.
Another tip mentions max66 online gambling platform, but we couldn't find any relevant sites besides a few phone numbers that are no longer operational. One user also pointed fingers at MPL, but the Mobile Premiere League is a mobile e-Sports platform, which allows users to compete in online gaming tournaments and win them. MPL is a verified application and deemed safe to use.
