Russian gaming platform agents held for duping many of Rs 10 cr

The State cybercrime wing (headquarters) arrested five men who acted as agents of a Russian online gaming platform and cheated several people to the tune of about Rs 10 crore after wooing them to play games on the website.

The so-called agents circulate the links of the website — which also features their names — that hosts a variety of games, including gambling on social media. “The Russian firm does not take money directly from the players. The money deposited by the players would go to the bank accounts managed by the respective agents who would convert it into cryptocurrency and transfer them to the Russian firm. In return, the agents get tokens which they can use for making purchases at shops. The accused used laymen’s bank accounts for the transactions after paying them Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 and each account

The money deposited by the players would go to the bank accounts managed by the respective agents who would convert it into cryptocurrency and transfer them to the Russian firm

was used for transactions up to Rs 4 lakh so that they do not come under scrutiny for tax evasion,” said Superintendent Sibi Chakravarthy, whose team busted the gang.

Earlier, Kallakurichi police arrested one Manikandan, also an agent, after they grew suspicious since his wealth grew multiple times in a short span. The State cybercrime took up the case after it involved a foreign firm and arrested four more suspects, identified as Sai Kumar, Sasi Kumar, Rajesh Kumar, Raj Kumar and Mohammed Asif. The gang operated from Shankar Nagar and Ambattur. Two laptops, one desktop, 10 mobile phones, 27 debit cards, 340 memory cards, Rs 1.20 lakh in cash and a car were seized from the gang.

The official said they would refer the case to the Enforcement Directorate since it involves money laundering. A hunt has been launched for the suspect who helped the gang to convert the cash into crypto.