Hyderabad, June 2 -- The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Telangana police busted an alleged illegal online betting racket and arrested 11 people from Gujarat, Delhi and Punjab in a coordinated inter-state operation, CID director general Charu Sinha announced on Monday.

Speaking to reporters at her office, Sinha said the arrests were made by a special investigation team (SIT) constituted by the state government to crack down on illegal online betting operations and protect citizens from financial fraud and psychological exploitation.

She said as many as 25 celebrities and social media influencers had been identified for allegedly endorsing online betting platforms in the state. "We have called them to our office and counselle...