Bathinda, Jan 28: Police have arrested two men in connection with an alleged illegal mobile gambling app scam, following a raid on a hotel in the northern city of Bathinda, officials said.
The suspects, identified as Jasbir Singh from Khairthal in Rajasthan and Yahiya Khan from Jhirka in Haryana, were taken into custody after police acted on a tip-off, authorities said.
Investigators allege the pair operated a tampered mobile gaming application that lured users with quick initial winnings before manipulating subsequent rounds to ensure losses once players increased their bets.
According to police, victims were encouraged to stake larger sums after early payouts, only for the app to be rigged against them, resulting in losses running into hundreds or thousands of rupees before users realised the platform was fraudulent.
During the raid, officers seized 13 mobile phones and two card-swiping devices, which police believe were used to process multiple transactions and funnel funds through concealed channels.
Authorities also allege the suspects relied on forged and counterfeit documents to launder money and obscure the source and movement of criminal proceeds. The seized devices are expected to provide digital evidence linking the suspects to broader fraud activity.
“We have registered a case involving sections on cheating and forgery of valuable securities,” said Narinder Singh, superintendent of police in Bathinda.
Singh added that while two key suspects are in custody, investigators are pursuing additional leads, including possible links to Gurgaon-based firms, as part of what police believe may be a larger, multi-state fraud network.
The case forms part of a broader law enforcement crackdown in India on cyber fraud and illegal gambling apps, which authorities say increasingly exploit mobile platforms to target unsuspecting users. Police said public tip-offs remain a critical tool in uncovering such operations.
