Nagpur: In a major development, the family members, friends, and accomplices of notorious online gaming fraudster, Ananth alias Sontu Navratan Jain, have gone into hiding as police intensified their investigations into the massive Rs 58 crore online gaming fraud case, media reports said.
The fraudster operated an illegal gaming platform under the guise of DiamondExchange.com, which manipulated unsuspecting victims in various gambling activities, including Rummy and Teen Patti. The police raid on Saturday at Sontu’s residence in Gondia resulted in the seizure of a staggering amount of Rs 17 crore in cash, 14 kg of gold, and 294 kg of silver collectively worth Rs 27 crore.
According to media reports, Sontu’s family members, including his mother, wife, brother, and their children mysteriously disappeared since Monday morning after the police served them notices to record their statements at the Cyber Police Station. Additionally, two friends of the complainant, Rinku and Rummu from Nagpur, are also missing, further fuelling suspicions of a wider network of fraudulent activities.
Furthermore, Sontu’s uncle from Kolkata, West Bengal, has evaded questioning. The police have activated counterparts in different locations to locate and apprehend the fugitive family members, friends, and accomplices. However, so far, none of them have been found at their reported places of residence.
According to a police official, Sontu’s modus operandi involved collaborating with developers of gaming applications to employ dummy players who would initially win and entice more victims into the platform. However, these innocent players ultimately fell victim to the deceptive schemes, resulting in significant financial losses. A senior police official reported that they have identified 17 bank accounts linked to the accused fraudster, and Sontu was operating accounts from Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Dharwad in Karnataka. To track the money trail and identify any hidden betting activities, the police have frozen these accounts and are conducting a comprehensive forensic audit to gather concrete evidence against all involved in the gaming fraud.
The case came to light when a Nagpur businessman approached the police after being deceived by Sontu’s gaming platform. He alleged that Sontu manipulated the results, causing him to lose substantial amounts of money. When the victim demanded his money back, Sontu not only refused but also issued threats. Under financial pressure, the victim arranged Rs 40 lakh through friends and transferred it to Sontu via a hawala trader. The victim had even attempted suicide. Police are tracing mobile phone numbers of Sontu’s family members, the reports said.
Siraj and Bunty under police radar
In a related cricket betting case, the Sonegaon police had arrested Kumar Sachdev and Hemant Gurubakshani, bookkeepers associated with prominent bookies, when they returned from Goa. During the interrogation, crucial information emerged, linking Siraj of Nagpur and Bunty alias Amit Chokhani of Yavatmal to the betting racket. The Crime Branch questioned Siraj for three hours on Tuesday. The police have issued a lookout circular (LOC) for Bunty, who is reportedly holed up in Dubai, a new haven for bookies operating in the region. Investigations have revealed that Bunty is a significant player in the cricket betting circuit, with a vast network spread across Vidarbha.
