NAVI MUMBAI: A 26-year-old transporter from Panvel was defrauded of ₹1.27 crore that he had invested by placing bets on an online gaming App, after selling his ancestral agricultural land in Panvel taluka.The victim had assumed that it was a legal gaming platform and after registering his User ID on the gaming platform’s website, the scammers had made him to gradually transfer his investment amount by UPI to different bank accounts for placing bets on card games, casino, etc on the platform of gaming App ‘Khelo24match’ between Oct 9, 2024 and July 28, 2026.Vishal Patil, senior inspector of Navi Mumbai Cyber police station said, “As the victim’s profit was being virtually displayed on the Gaming App, it lured him to invest more amount by placing bets on the online games.When he was unable to withdraw his profit, he realised that he was cheated after which on Thursday, he registered an FIR.Accordingly, we have invoked relevant BNS sections for cheating, criminal breach of trust and joint criminal liability along with IT Act and The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2005, against the unidentified accused director, manager and customer care representative of the online gaming platform ‘Khelo24match’, the holder of weblink ‘khelo24match99.com’ and users as well as the holders of various bank accounts where the complainant was made to transfer his investment for placing bets.Meanwhile, in June, a 25-year-old auto rickshaw driver, who is a Project Affected Person (PAP) from Morave village in Ulwe node, Panvel taluka registered an FIR after being defrauded of Rs 1.27 crore that he had invested by placing bets on an online gaming platform ‘KheloStar.For betting on the gaming App, he had sold his plot in Ulwe that was allotted by Cidco under the 12.5 percent compensation scheme for the Project Affected Persons.
