Mumbai, July 23: According to a Mumbai police official, a businessman from Nagpur lost a whopping 58 crore in online gambling. The inquiry led authorities to a suspected bookie and resulted in the discovery of 14 crores in cash and 4 kg of gold biscuits on Saturday. Anant alias Sontu Navratan Jain, the accused, was arrested but escaped moments before police stormed his home in Gondia City, 160 km from Nagpur. The police officer stated that they believe he has fled to Dubai.

On the surface, Jain appeared to have persuaded the complainant, a businessman, to consider online gambling as a viable source of income. Despite his initial reluctance, the businessman ultimately gave in to Jain's pressure and sent 8 lahks via a hawala merchant, Nagpur Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar told NDTV. Ahmedabad Shocker: Youth Kills Self Over Online Gambling Debts, Asks Father to Return Money to Lenders in Suicide Note.

Jain sent the businessman a WhatsApp link to create an account for online gambling. According to Kumar, the businessman started gambling after discovering 8 lakh had been placed in the account. The police commissioner stated that after early success, the businessman's fortunes took a sudden turn as he lost a staggering 58 crore while gaining approximately 5 crores. He claimed that when the businessman continued to lose, he became suspicious and requested his money back, but Jain refused. Online Gambling Games Banned in Tamil Nadu, Assembly Passes Bill To Ban and Regulate Online Rummy, Poker, Other Gambling Platforms.

The merchant reported the incident to the cyber police, which resulted in the filing of a fraud case under the Indian Penal Code. Police searched Jain's Gondia home. In the course of the operation, a sizable amount of evidence was seized, including 14 crore rupees in cash and four kilogrammes of gold biscuits, stated Kumar. The significant sum of money is being tallied, but the total amount of seizures has not yet been determined.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 23, 2023 09:12 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).