Online betting: Telangana constitutes 5-member SIT supervised by CID Director Shikha Goel to probe cases

Hyderabad: Telangana government has constituted a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a thorough investigation into online betting cases.

Director-General of Police (DGP) Dr Jitender has issued an order appointing a five-member panel supervisedd by Crime Investigation Department (CID) Director Shikha Goel. The SIT will submit a report to the government within 90 days.

The SIT will comprise Inspector General of Police (Provisions & Logistics) M Ramesh, Superintendent of Police (Intelligence) Ch Sindhu Sharma, CID SP K Venkata Lakshmi, additional superintendent S Chandrakanth, and DSP (CID) M Shankar.

As per the order, the SlT will function under the overall supervision of the director general (DG), CID/additional DG, ClD.

DGP outlined the SIT's terms of reference. The SIT shall thoroughly and expeditiously investigate all online betting cases that are specifically assigned or transferred to it. According to the order, the SIT shall study the existing ecosystem that enables and facilitates online betting/gaming and recommend necessary reforms to curb these activities.

The SIT shall evaluate legal provisions, regulations, and restrictions that can be introduced to prevent the organizing, promotion, and advertising of online betting/gaming and suggest legal action in the public interest. The order further stated that the SIT shall recommend policy and regulatory changes for payment systems and financial institutions to detect and block transactions linked to illegal betting and gambling operations, and submit these recommendations to the Reserve Bank of India.

Earlier, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy told the Legislative Assembly that the government plans to appoint an SIT to investigate cases related to online betting apps, including rummy.

This comes after the police have registered a criminal case against 25 individuals, including film actors and social media influencers, for promoting online betting on social media, especially on Facebook and Instagram.

The case has been booked against six prominent actors -- Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda, Praneetha, Lakshmi Manchu, and Nidhi Agarwal -- and 19 social media influencers: Ananya Nagella, Siri Hanumanthu, Sreemukhi, Varshini Sounderajan, Vasanthi Krishnan, Shoba Shetty, Amrutha Chowdary, Nayani Pavani, Neha Pathan, Pandu, Padhmavathi, Imran Khan, Vishnu Priya, Harsha Sai, Bayya Sunny Yadav, Shyamala, Tasty Teja, Rithu Chowdhary and Bandaru Sheshayani Supritha.

Police found these platforms directly violating gambling laws and regulations, particularly the Public Gambling Act of 1867. These apps cause significant harm to individuals and society by encouraging addictive gambling behaviors that often lead to financial distress.