The Main Directorate for Combating Cybercrime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan conducted a special operation to expose another organized group engaged in online gambling on social networks, Oxu.Az reports, citing the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
As a result of the operation, which was carried out simultaneously in several secret offices operating in Baku, 10 members of the group, led by Nihat Valiyev (born 2002) and Altay Askerli (born 2001), were detained. The investigation established that citizens were lured into online gambling through social media pages, including those under the names “TT,” “Admiral,” “Bir-iki,” “Gold,” and others on Instagram.
To avoid liability, N. Veliyev and A. Askerli used numbers belonging to foreign mobile operators, as well as SIM cards registered to other individuals. Using accounts they controlled, they lured citizens into gambling on illegal websites such as “Fast Loto365” and “CHCPlay,” which were operated from abroad. The group’s leaders, having established criminal connections with the owners of these websites, created an extensive network in Azerbaijan and operated from rented apartments. During the operation, approximately 500 bank cards, purchased from various individuals for monetary compensation and used for illegal transfers, were confiscated from the detainees.
Furthermore, based on court orders, a search of the apartments where the group’s “offices” were located was conducted. As a result, more than 50 local and international phone numbers, mobile phones, and other electronic evidence were seized. It was established that the group’s total illegal turnover exceeded 10 million manat. It was also discovered that N. Veliyev and A. Askerli converted some of the funds they received into cryptocurrency.
The Main Directorate for Combating Cybercrime has opened a criminal case under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Operational and technical measures are being taken to detain other members of the group.
This post is also available in: Russian