Betting apps scam: YouTuber booked for allegations against Telangana DGP

Hyderabad, May 4 (IANS) The Cyberabad Police have registered a case against YouTuber Anvesh for making false allegations against Telangana Director General of Police and other senior officials in connection with a betting apps scam.

Anvesh alleged that DGPJitender and several IAS officers of the state government were involved in the Rs 300 crore betting scam.

Anvesh, on his channel 'Naa Anveshana', claimed that several IAS officials accepted Rs 300 crore from some persons for allowing the betting apps.

He also claimed that the officials allowed promotion of the betting apps through advertisements on the Hyderabad Metro Rail.

Anvesh, in his video, accused the officials of misappropriating funds through a betting app. The YouTuber, known for his funny travel vlogs, made the allegations against DGP, Hyderabad Metro Rail Managing Director N. V. S. Reddy, IAS officers Santhi Kumar, Dana Kishor, Vikas Raj and others.

The Cybercrime police of Cyberabad registered the First Information Report (FIR) against Anvesh on a complaint by A. Naveen Kumar, a constable working in the social media cell of Cyberabad Police Commissionerate. The police termed his allegations baseless and initiated action against him for disseminating unverified information.

The YouTuber has been making videos about betting apps in the Telugu states. Earlier, he alleged that transactions worth Rs 1,000 crore occurred through betting apps. He also named several Tollywood actors and social media influencers, accusing them of promoting these apps and profiting from them.

Last week, the Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) removed advertisements related to betting apps from all metro premises after the Telangana High Court issued it a notice on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL).

The petitioner had accused the Metro of promoting illegal offshore betting apps.

It may be recalled that Hyderabad and Cyberabad Police had earlier registered cases against several social media influencers and celebrities for allegedly promoting betting apps.

In March, the Cyberabad Police have also booked leading actors Rana Daggubati, Vijay Devarakonda and Prakash Raj for allegedly promoting betting apps. The actors, however, clarified that they were not promoting any illegal app.

The police had also booked actors Manchu Lakshmi, Nidhi Agarwal and 19 social media influencers under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Telangana Gaming Act and the Information Technology Act.

--IANS

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