Acting on a tip-off, Siliguri Metropolitan Police busted an illegal online gambling racket operating in Bhaktinagar on Sunday night.

Seventeen persons, mostly from Bihar, including two engineering students, have been arrested in this connection.

“On Sunday night, we received a call from Bihar that a person has been abducted. While probing the case, it was found that a gang was running illegal online gambling from an apartment on Don Bosco Road under Bhaktinagar police station in Siliguri,” said A.K. Chaturvedi, the commissioner of Siliguri Metropolitan Police here on Monday.

As policemen raided the location, they found 15 persons there involved in online gambling and two others supervising them. The person, who was allegedly abducted, was also among them.

“Among those who have been arrested are a second-year MTech student and a third-year BTech student,” a police source said.

Police came to know that the gang used to appoint youths to operate illegal online apps on the pretext of giving them online jobs. They were paid a monthly salary of Rs 25,000, free food and stay.

“We received more names associated with the racket. Probe is on,” said an officer.

Narcotics seized

Malda police seized over 500 grams of brown sugar (a derivative of heroin) worth Rs 50 lakh from two areas of the district in two consecutive days and arrested four persons.

On Sunday, Manikchak police arrested three youths and found 250 grams of brown sugar on them. Arrested Ranjan Rabidas, Samirul Sheikh and Noor Islam are from Kaliachak. On Monday, Englishbazar police arrested Ali Hossain, from Itahar of North Dinajpur, from NH12 with 270 grams of brown sugar on him.