Hyderabad, March 11 -- In a significant breakthrough, the Hyderabad City Cybercrime Police identified 124 social media accounts promoting 539 paid advertisements on online gaming and betting apps in February alone.

These advertisements were strategically designed to attract vulnerable users, particularly youth, by promising easy money, assured returns, bonuses, and referral commissions, the police said in a release.

The profiles were systematically circulating promotional content, referral links, and inducement-based schemes to lure people into participating in betting and unlawful wagering.

The 124 identified profiles have been reported to the respective platforms as a precautionary measure and have since been taken down to prevent fu...