Police Seize Rs 30 Lakh in KPHB After Fake Kidnap Prank Uncovers Betting Ring

A drunken prank claiming a fake kidnapping led KPHB police to uncover an online betting operation and seize Rs 30 lakh in cash on August 21, resulting in the arrest of three men.

The incident began when 25-year-old Sumanth was drinking with his friends Makati Manoj, 29, and Kanumuri Gowtham Chowdary, 29, at their room in KPHB. During the gathering, Sumanth sent a text message to his girlfriend claiming that he had been kidnapped. Alarmed by the message, she immediately dialed 112 for emergency police assistance.

Officers from the KPHB police station quickly tracked the location and found Sumanth, Manoj, and Gowtham inside the room. Noting suspicious behaviour among the trio, the police conducted a search of the premises and recovered Rs 30 lakh in cash along with other valuables.

Subsequent interrogation revealed that Sumanth had a history of online betting. Around seven years ago, he had lost nearly Rs 3 crore in betting, forcing him to sell farmland to settle the debt. After quitting betting, he completed a Master’s degree in the United Kingdom.

In 2023, Sumanth returned to the activity after seeing an online advertisement for cricket predictions. He established Telegram channels offering match predictions, eventually amassing around 60,000 viewers and 2,000 active participants. Police stated that he also earned commissions by promoting betting platforms such as FairPlay and ReddyBook through these channels.

According to investigators, a man named Shiv offered to purchase Sumanth's Telegram channels for Rs 4.6 crore. Sumanth agreed to the sale and handed over the account login credentials on August 8. When the full payment was delayed, an unidentified person contacted Sumanth on WhatsApp to arrange cash delivery, and Sumanth provided the address of the KPHB room shared by Manoj and Gowtham.

Between August 17 and August 21, unidentified individuals visited the KPHB residence on three separate occasions and delivered Rs 30 lakh in instalments. The illicit cash haul remained in the room until the hoax kidnap message brought officers to the door.

KPHB police have arrested Sumanth, Manoj, and Gowtham, registered a case against them, and launched a further investigation into the betting network.