A large-scale cybercrime network involved in online gambling has been dismantled in the Yashnabad district of Tashkent, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Department for Combating Cybercrime. The company operated under the guise of providing consulting services in computer technology within a business center in the Chulpon neighborhood. The structure was highly hierarchical, resembling a large corporation: operators, supervisors, cashiers, analysts, and managers performed strictly compartmentalized and covert roles.

Investigators say the group attracted nearly 60,000 citizens from Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and other countries to online gambling platforms, providing them with the means to participate. To lure clients, the group used specialized software, encrypted communication channels, and technologies to hide digital traces. This indicates a sophisticated level of organization.

During the operation, server equipment, computer sets, laptops, mobile phones, bank cards, SIM cards, and cash were seized as material evidence. Forensic examination of the computers revealed that over the past six months, the network had processed transactions worth $4 million. This figure highlights the financial scale and reach of the criminal operation.

A criminal case has been initiated under relevant articles of the Criminal Code. Eleven key members of the group have been detained under Article 227 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Detention), while investigative measures are ongoing for five more individuals. Other individuals providing remote services have also been identified, and search operations are continuing, the MIA department added.

This incident underscores the growing relevance of combating cybercrime in Uzbekistan. Online gambling and similar illegal activities not only cause economic damage but also create social problems. Law enforcement agencies continue to expose such networks.

Source: www.gazeta.uz