Officers from the Tashkent city Interior Ministry’s cybercrime department have uncovered two alleged underground networks involved in online gambling, illegal bookmaking, money laundering and cyber-fraud following raids in the Mirabad district, officials said. A residential property on Fergana Road, 1st lane, rented for $9,000 a month, was found hosting 52 detained individuals; a second address yielded another 20 detainees. Preliminary findings indicate the groups accepted funds, processed transfers to bank cards and used fake romantic relationships online to defraud victims.
Key Takeaways: The raids led to the detention of 72 people in total — 52 at one location and 20 at another. Authorities seized $110,000 in cash, 95 laptops, 330 phones, one tablet, four Wi-Fi devices and three Starlink terminals, and identified crypto-asset turnover worth $576,000. A criminal case has been opened and investigations are ongoing.
The case highlights the growing pressure on digital financial crime in Uzbekistan as electronic payments, crypto trading and online services expand. Illegal gambling and unlicensed betting operations are often linked to money laundering, fraud and tax evasion, and hidden call centres can pose risks to ordinary users and the formal banking system. Law enforcement officials are increasingly focusing on bank-card flows, crypto transactions and foreign communications equipment used to disguise infrastructure and evade detection.
The operation continued at another address on Katta Mirabad Street, where a second hidden call centre was found renting premises for $2,000 a month. According to investigators, members of that group posed as women online, built fake romantic relationships with clients and then siphoned their funds. Officers seized 24 laptops, one tablet, 52 phones and four Wi-Fi devices. In both groups, duties were reportedly divided among leaders, administrators, operators and security staff.
The use of Starlink terminals and a large stock of laptops and phones suggests an attempt to maintain stable connectivity and disperse operational infrastructure. The reported $576,000 in crypto-asset turnover also points to possible cross-border or digital channels that complicate tracing. Officials have not publicly identified the organisers or detailed the suspected links to overseas platforms, saying the probe is at an early stage.
A criminal case has been opened over the incidents, and forensic, financial and digital evidence is being examined. Investigators are expected to establish the roles of those detained, trace money flows and check whether other participants or organisers are involved. The raids signal a broader effort by Uzbek authorities to strengthen enforcement against online fraud, illegal gambling and money laundering, while further procedural decisions are expected as the investigation proceeds.
Source: kun.uz