Dewas (Madhya Pradesh): Two men who lured young boys into betting and gambling on the pretext of fun games have been arrested in the Kannod police station area of the Dewas district. Accused Azhar son of Azad, and Akash son of Kriparam— both residents of Dholi Mohalla Kannod, would post pictures and reels of expensive cars on their Instagram account to trick youths. The accused would then convince youths that they can too afford a luxury lifestyle merely by “investing” some money into games.

According to police, several young boys got into trap and have mortgaged their bikes and shops after losing in betting. These boys were interrogated and finally the accused were traced. Mobile phones and a car purchased with the money earned from crime were seized from the possession of the accused. Police remand has been taken after presenting the accused in the court. Other gang members will also be interrogated.

There were reports of youth indulging in online gambling and betting

TI Tehzeeb Qazi said that there were reports of youth indulging in online gambling and betting in the area, but no clue was found. After which, the police started collecting information about youths who were struggling with debt and have mortgaged their bikes and shops.

Several names came forward who lost their money through gaming apps. Similarly, a young man’s relative lodged a complaint in the police station. When the police counselled the youth, it came to light that he was committing fraud through an online gaming app. After this, on the report of the youth, the police registered a case under fraud and other sections.

Invest 1k, earn 36k

During the investigation of the case, information was received that Azhar Baba of Kannod town is doing the above work in this area with his partner Akash through a gaming app. He showed his status to young boys by posting reels of expensive cars and bikes on his Instagram ID. This made the youth feel that they can live a luxurious life by earning a lot of money through casinos using this ID. The youth got the ID from him and started recharging it with money.

The complainant, a young man, told that he and his companions met Azhar at the bus stand in Kannod and said that he has an app called Fun Game, through which when you bet on numbers at casinos, you get Rs 36,000 instead of Rs 1,000 if your number is correct. Being influenced by his words, he mortgaged his car.

Lakhs of rupees from the sale of land were kept in the bank accounts of his mother and grandmother. Keeping them all in the dark, they withdrew the money and gave more than five lakh rupees to the said gaming app. Initially he made some profit and then later lost all the money. Due to debt, he and his family were troubled. On this they reached the police.