The police are considering forming separate team to tackle online betting.
There has been a two-fold increase in cricket betting cases in Bengaluru. As privately shared links of cricket betting apps makes it difficult for police to trace gambling rackets, they are now considering forming a separate team to deal with the online betting menace.
Rakesh, Inspector at the Cyber Crime Police Station, said online betting rackets have a closed cluster. The software or mobile applications used are developed by app designers and shared privately. This makes tracking and unearthing of such betting rackets extremely difficult. “Our department has resolved two out of three such cases,” he added.
City Crime Report Bureau (CCRB) data show 96 cases of cricket betting were reported in 2021. Till October 31, 2022, the number had increased to 161.
With cybercrime cases being reported every 15 minutes, the cyber crime department is flooded with such cases. “We are planning to come up with a team whichcan specifically look into online betting,” Rakesh said.
Rakesh added that absence of a law for online betting and gambling makes it easier for gambling rackets to indulge in illegal betting. “The gambling rackets keep changing their internet protocol (IP) addresses frequently which make tracking them even more difficult.”
Anil Kumar Rachamalla, a cybercrime expert and founder CEO of End Now Foundation, said: “Gambling rackets prepare a short link with an attractive advertisement which help them in phishing.” When people try to download apps through social media platforms or websites, instead of Google Playstore or Apple Store, they get trapped.
“Our Information Technology Act is not in line with how fast the technology is evolving. Hence, when an app developer comes up with an app with advanced technology they can easily get away with the crime by changing their identity,” Rachaamalla added.
Hacking someone’s account or phone takes not more than a millisecond. By the time someone realizes they have lost money and complain to the cybercrime department, the culprit has already vamoosed.
Advocate Brijesh Nichani of the Bombay High Court said many states have their own laws against gambling, but some states do not.
