Visakhapatnam: The Visakhapatnam police have apprehended a suspect involved in an online betting scheme, continuing their efforts to combat gambling operations throughout the city and nearby areas.The main suspect, known as Bonda Gopi, was found to be managing an elaborate betting network across various districts, including Anakapalli and Vizianagaram. Police investigations revealed that Gopi controlled roughly 20 bank accounts to support his activities. He operated six Telegram channels that promoted cricket betting under the names Cricket Brahma, Gopi Cricket Analyst, Classic Prediction, Winner IPL, Bold Prediction, and Genie Predictions. Through his Telegram channels, the accused promoted betting and provided match forecasts to draw in customers. Police found that ten thousand individuals followed his Telegram channels, with around 300-500 active bettors participating in bets for each cricket match. During the investigation, it was found that the accused ran a call centre-type operation, gathering personal information and payment details from potential bettors through his staff. These employees would then grant login access and assist customers in the betting process. Police commissioner Sankha Brata Bagchi highlighted that this arrest is part of a larger campaign aimed at safeguarding citizens from falling prey to betting scams that lure with promises of substantial returns for minimal investment, ultimately leading to the depletion of victims' savings. The cyber crime police have noted that new information about other bookmakers linked to this operation has been found during the investigation. Special teams have been found to apprehend these additional suspects along with current gamblers.