Auto driver sells allotted PAP plot for betting on online gaming platform, loses Rs 1.3 crore to fraudsters

Navi Mumbai: A 25-year-old auto-rickshaw driver, who is a Project Affected Person (PAP) from Morave village in Ulwe node, Panvel taluka, was defrauded of Rs 1.3 crore that he invested by placing bets on an online gaming platform after selling his Cidco-allotted plot in Ulwe under the 12.5% compensation scheme.

The driver gradually invested the entire amount by placing bets online in card games, casino, etc between March 2024 and April 2026. As his profit was being virtually displayed on the app, it lured him to invest more amount by placing bets.

When he was unable to withdraw his profit, he realised that he was cheated, after which on Monday, he lodged a complaint at Navi Mumbai cyber police station. An FIR was registered against an unidentified gang of scamsters comprising the online gaming platform’s director, manager, customer care representatives, the creator of the gaming app link and the bank account holders to whom the complainant was made to transfer money. The accused were booked under BNS sections for cheating, criminal breach of trust and common intention, along with the provisions of the IT Act and Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act and Information Technology Act. Senior inspector Vishal Patil said that in March, the complainant registered his user ID account on the website of the online gaming platform ‘KheloStar’.

In the initial stages, he was able to withdraw some of his profit by transferring it to his bank account, thus gaining his trust. Patil said, “The complainant sold his Cidco-allotted PAP plot in Ulwe node and gradually invested the total by transferring the money to different bank accounts provided in the app.”