Pune: In a major crackdown on illegal gambling, the Viman Nagar Police raided an operation involving the banned online betting platform "Lotus365" and arrested four individuals, including college students. The operation was being run without a license, and equipment used for gambling was seized during the raid.

The suspects arrested are Vishal Sridhar Rakh (26), Samadhan Uddhav Shirsat (20), Saurabh Navnath Rakh (21), and Mahesh Pandurang Shirsat (26), all residents of Vrindavan Building, DY Patil Road, Lohgaon.

Acting on information about unauthorized gambling activities via the banned website Lotus365, the police raided a flat on the second floor of Vrindavan Building at 6 p.m. on Friday. Inside the flat, they discovered individuals operating the gambling website to facilitate unlicensed activities for financial gain.

The suspects used fraudulent methods involving bank accounts and SIM cards to collect payments from customers who participated in the gambling activities. Customers were lured into playing and subsequently defrauded, causing financial losses to both individuals and the government.

The police seized 12 mobile phones, 2 laptops, and 1 tablet from the site. The accused have been placed in police custody until Monday for further questioning, with Assistant Police Inspector Shinde overseeing the investigation.