Nagpur: The investigation by Nagpur Police into Rs 58 crore online gaming fraud case uncovered a link of the gaming fraud to the suicide of a 19-year-old boy hailing from Gondia. The teenager committed suicide last month at his residence in Gondia after losing a staggering Rs 1.50 crore in the online game.
According to police, the information of the link between the suicide and online game was shared with Gondia Police. Shockingly, after the suicide case, the accomplices of elusive gaming fraudster Ananth alias Sontu Navratan Jain had approached the family members of the deceased in Gondia. They reportedly handed-over a sum of Rs 1 crore to the family members to hide the suicide note, the police said.
Gold Rate
Thursday 09 Jan. 2025
The investigation further revealed that apart from Gondia suicide case, the gaming fraud had caused suicides of two other persons — one in Odisha and another at Pune. On July 23, during the raid on Sontu’s residence, the police had seized Rs 17 crore in cash, 14 kg of gold, and 294 kg of silver with a combined worth of Rs 27 crore. Later, the police found Rs 85 lakh cash and gold worth over Rs 4.50 crore in the lockers of Sontu Jain. It has been revealed that the accused, Sontu, operated an illegal online gaming platform under the guise of ‘Diamond Exchange.com’.
The platform allegedly manipulated unsuspecting victims into engaging in various gambling activities, such as Rummy and Teen Patti, leading to significant financial losses to many. The investigation into this fraud case started when a Nagpur-based businessman approached the police, claiming to have been duped of Rs 58 crore by Sontu’s gaming platform. He alleged that the results were manipulated, leading to substantial financial losses.
When the victim demanded his money back, Sontu not only refused but also issued threats. Under immense financial pressure, the victim had arranged Rs 40 lakh and transferred it to Sontu via a hawala trader.
