Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has temporarily attached moveable and immovable properties valued at around Rs. 8.89 crore. These properties were discovered to have been obtained from proceeds of crime in the context of illicit online satta matka betting. The properties that are attached consist of five bank accounts and ten immovable properties. The names of the accused individuals include the chief mastermind, Lokesh Verma, also known as Raja Verma.
Based on the FIR filed and the Chargesheet submitted by the Madhya Pradesh Police for the offences registered under several provisions of the Public Gambling Act of 1867 and the IPC, of 1860, the ED began an investigation.
A probe by the ED found that unlawful online betting apps, including Dhangames and other Satta Matka apps, were being used to deceive gullible people in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and other regions of the nation. Through the app, users may gamble, deposit money to their Dhangames wallet via UPI, and register using their cellphone number.
Through a network of false bank accounts that Lokesh Verma created in the names of fictitious people and used to operate betting activities by falsifying their KYC paperwork, the illegal money made through these Satta Matka apps was laundered. With the help of others, Lokesh Verma made around Rs. 25 crore in criminal gains through betting activities. Additional research is currently being conducted.
