Key Takeaways
- FIA registered a FIR on September 24, 2026, investigating a Rs. 120 billion online gambling network.
- Company insiders allegedly helped bypass security checks and opened multiple accounts under fake names.
- Suspects earned between Rs. 400 million and Rs. 450 million in a year, while others received Rs. 100 million to Rs. 150 million.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has uncovered a significant online gambling network that processed Rs. 119.93 billion through accounts linked to telecom-managed mobile wallets, according to details reported in the case.
The investigation, which began on September 24, 2026, revealed that the network used fake companies, misleading websites, and multiple financial accounts to process transactions linked to offshore gambling platforms.
Between 2024 and 2025, several corporate branchless banking accounts were opened under the names of single-member companies, which were presented as legitimate e-commerce and digital marketing businesses.
Company officials are suspected of helping the accused open these accounts and avoid standard compliance checks, as one individual allegedly told investigators that he discussed payment arrangements with officials at the mobile wallet provider.
Another suspect allegedly created dummy websites to test payment integrations to connect to offshore gambling platforms, presenting the arrangement on behalf of a Chinese associate who acted as an agent for online gaming and gambling platforms.
The group allegedly agreed to share profits, with one suspect in custody reporting earnings of between Rs. 400 million and Rs. 450 million in about a year, while the other involved party received between Rs. 100 million and Rs. 150 million.
Multiple shell companies were used to collect and transfer funds, with five branchless banking collection accounts processing around Rs. 8.586 billion through nearly 10.49 million transactions.
The FIA also suspected that some funds were transferred through businesses such as scrap dealers and mobile phone shops, with digital hawala channels and cryptocurrency used to settle the transactions.
