DGGI, Hyderabad unearths Rs 13,000 cr syndicate involved in operating 'illegal' online gaming sites
Hyderabad (PTI): The DGGI, Hyderabad zonal unit, on Thursday said it has identified an alleged organised syndicate worth Rs 13,000 crore involved in operating "illegal" online gaming websites in the country with the assistance of associated fintech companies and arrested one of the masterminds.
It further said it has launched a massive crackdown on online gaming syndicates, including action against associated fintech companies, freezing bank accounts to the tune of Rs 100 crore and has begun arresting the masterminds.
As part of the online gaming investigation, GST Intelligence, Hyderabad arrested Pankaj Kumar, founder and director of Adsum Advisory Service Pvt Ltd, the city-based firm, which provides services for fraud detection and customer verification/digital KYC verification, a release from the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), Hyderabad zonal unit said.
"Evidence gathered during the investigation pointed to the identification of an organised syndicate worth Rs 13,000 crore involved in operating illegal online gaming websites with assistance of associated fintech companies, including payment aggregator, payment gateway and third-party technology service providers, wherein Pankaj Kumar is one of the masterminds responsible for fraudulent KYC verification of merchants and shell entities on behalf of RBI regulated entities like Payment Gateways and Banking as Payment Aggregator (BAPA)," it said.
Being director of a company responsible for KYC verification process, Kumar "failed" to develop risk profiling of customers based on ownership and control structure and helped in onboarding of shell entities for UPI integration required for flow of money from online gaming, it alleged.
The DGGI, Hyderabad unit, further alleged Kumar, is one of the beneficiaries who received "illegitimate" proceeds of crime generated by the online gaming syndicate.
Further investigation is under progress, the release added.
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NH toll plazas may go cashless from April 1; NHAI proposes only FASTag, UPI payments
New Delhi (PTI): Highways authority NHAI is considering discontinuing cash payments at highway toll plazas from April 1, requiring commuters to use only digital modes such as FASTag or UPI for toll payments.
Post implementation, all toll payments at National Highway fee plazas will be processed exclusively through digital modes, using FASTag or Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said.
The authority said it is contemplating completely discontinuing cash transactions at the National Highway fee plazas across the country from April 1, 2026, in order to develop a fully digital National Highway tolling ecosystem.
The proposed measure is aimed at consolidating the gains achieved in Electronic Toll Collection and strengthening the efficiency & reliability of National Highway fee plaza operations, it said.
The transition will help to enhance ‘Ease of Commuting’ for National Highway users by improving lane throughput, reducing congestion at fee plazas and bringing greater consistency and transparency in toll transactions.
In the past few years, over 98 per cent penetration of FASTag has significantly transformed toll collection practices in the country. At present, an overwhelming proportion of toll transactions are processed electronically through RFID-enabled FASTag affixed to vehicles, facilitating seamless and contactless movement across toll plazas.
In addition, UPI payment facilities have been operationalized at the National Highway toll plazas, ensuring availability of instant and accessible digital payment options for National Highway commuters nationwide.
As per National Highway fee rules, vehicles entering a fee plaza without a valid, functional FASTag are charged twice the applicable user fee, if the fee payment is made in cash. Whereas National Highway users who opt to pay via UPI are charged only 1.25 times of the user fee for the applicable vehicle category.
These initiatives have collectively advanced the objective of reducing dependency on cash transactions and digitizing the tolling framework.
Plaza-level assessments indicate that cash-based payments contribute to congestion, increased waiting times during peak traffic periods and transaction-related disputes.
A complete transition to digital only mode of payment will strengthen operational efficiency, improve traffic management, minimise delays and enhance overall National Highway user experience at over 1,150 fee plazas on various National Highways and Expressways in the country.
