Mumbai: After getting addicted to online gambling games, a 28-year-old man lost around Rs 40 lakh over a span of three years. In his police complaint, he said that he even took money from friends, relatives and the bank to pay for the app-based games, which he claims to be controlled by scammers. In a period of three years, he ended up spending Rs 55.64 lakh and won Rs 15.67 lakh, police said.
Hailing from Bhandara district, the man works in a private company. He got entangled in the web of card game addiction after receiving a text message about a gaming app link along with Rs 500 starting bonus.
Out of curiosity, he clicked on the link after which a gaming app got downloaded on his phone. The man linked his bank account with the app and created an online profile. He used to buy chips via the app in order to play card games and also managed to win money in some instances.
To fund his addiction, he even borrowed money from his near and dear ones. He finally realised that the scammers were controlling the apps and that he was made to win money initially to keep him hooked.
A case has been registered under section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code and provision 66D (cheating by personation by using computer resource) of the Information Technology Act.
