Five members of an online gambling gang from Khulna have been arrested during a raid on Thursday by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) for allegedly using gambling websites to launder money.

A group of individuals in Khulna’s Rupsa upazila have allegedly been using online gambling apps like 1XBET and Velki Live to launder money, according to a statement from the RAB. The ring used Bkash, Nagad, and other mobile finance platforms to conduct illegal financial transactions nationwide.

On Wednesday night, after receiving a tip, the RAB raided in Khulna’s Rupsa upazila and detained the five ring members, including the leader. The arrested individuals were identified as Md. Rajib, Md. Enamul Gazi, Md. Mehedi Hasan, Md. Idris Mollah and Md. Mamun, according to tbsnews.

The RAB also recovered five smartphones that were used for online betting. Further investigation revealed several message groups used for online gambling and illegal transactions of dollars and local currencies through numerous mobile banking services.

A similar crackdown on these illegal gambling activities is also taking place in India, with news from different states emerging of several arrests of these illegal betting and gambling gangs.

In the most recent one, 16 people were arrested in Rajasthan by the Dholpur DST team for illegal gambling. The police also seized around Rs 2.3 lakh during the raid.

In another instance, more than 20 people were arrested across Assam and New Delhi for participating in illegal gambling and betting activities. The police arrested six people during a raid at the Digboi Kalibari Housing region of the Tinsukia District and another 16 gamblers in south Delhi.

Over Rs 1 lakh worth of assets were seized during the raids combined. The gamblers are being charged under relevant acts.