Indian police have made 11 arrests after raids on a suspected illegal gambling ring.
According to reports from local outlet NDTV, the action was taken by the Telangana Criminal Investigation Department after a man reported losing Rs 995,000 (£7,750) through the network.
The man told the police that he had been aggressively promoted to online and was offered betting on cricket, as well as casino games and Aviator.
Six teams were deployed across Delhi, Gujarat and Punjab after the funds were traced through over 40 different mule accounts.
Alongside arresting 11 individuals, the authorities also seized Rs 321,000 (£2,500), laptops, iPads, 26 mobile phones and passports.
The National Cybercrime Reporting Portal said that the men arrested are also suspected of being involved in 225 complaints and 73 criminal cases across a number of states in India.
Earlier this week, police in Guwahati also raided a separate illegal sports betting network during the Indian Premier League (IPL) final.
Deputy Commissioner Shambavi Mishra told ANI News that police raided the premises during the game and discovered betting taking place on the match between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Gujarat Titans.
Mishra added that police also seized mobile phones, laptops, cash and valuables.
Black market battle continues
Authorities in India have continued to ramp up action against the black market following the implementation of a ban on online real money games through the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025.
In March, the Economic Times reported that India’s government has blocked 4,900 websites since the passage of the bill in August 2025.
More recently, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has also warned that players are being targeted by prediction market platforms such as Polymarket.
A notice from MeitY said that players are evading restrictions through the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), as well as converting Indian rupees to stablecoins such as USD Coins to facilitate transactions.
“This raises serious concerns relating to unlawful online betting, circumvention of regulatory frameworks, potential financial risks, and threats to public order and economic integrity,” the statement read.
MeitY reminded intermediaries such as VPN providers of their obligations under India’s IT Act and IT rules to ensure that their services are not used to access websites banned under Indian law.
