Fake lottery racket uncovered

Suspects siphon cash via illegal channels

New Delhi (PTI) A fake lottery racket jointly run by Pakistanis and I ndians, who are sending the illgotten money to Pakistan through illegal channels, has been unearthed here.

No one has been a r - rested t hough t he Delhi Po l i c e ’ s Cr i me Bra n c h cl a i ms t o have got t he l eads foll owing a probe into input it received recently that some Pakistanis and Indians were luring people into depositing money on the pretext of helping t hem re ceive a lottery prize.

Last year, t he Crime Branch smashed several lottery rackets with the arrest of 15 people, including nine foreigners, most of them Nigerians.

The racket was uncovered after recovery of fake Indian currency with a face value of Rs22.4 million (Dh1.55 million) from southwest Delhi’s Dabri on Thursday. Police believe that the fake notes were printed and sent allegedly from Pakistan.

There were inputs that people in Delhi and other parts were receiving calls from Pakistan informing them that they had won a lottery worth millions of rupees and that they were being asked to deposit a certain amount in a particular bank account to get the whole amount.

“People used to deposit money in the bank account from where it is siphoned off to Pakistan through illegal channels and by way of recharge of Dish TV coupons,” a senior police official said yesterday.