Bihar police reach out to IT ministry seeking ban on 100 gambling, gaming and illegal loan apps

Bihar police has approached the ministry of electronics and knowledge know-how (Meity) searching for a ban on greater than 100 playing/gaming and mortgage lending apps which might be allegedly engaged in cash laundering and pose a risk to the monetary safety of the nation.

The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar police just lately approached Meity urging it to ban greater than 100 such apps, Nayyar Hasnain Khan, Additional Director General (ADG) of EOU (Bihar police) stated.

“The decision was taken after confirming that these apps attract Section 69 of the Information Technology (IT) Act as they contain materials which is prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India. Several complaints had been received of extortion and harassment from people who had borrowed very small amounts through such loan lending apps,” Khan stated.

Section 69A of the IT Act empowers the federal government to limit entry to any on-line content material to guard the curiosity of sovereignty and integrity of the nation, safety of the state, pleasant relations with international states and public order.

The EOU additionally acquired a number of FIRs registered towards these apps and folks related to them in Arwal, Phulwari Sharif (Patna), Aurangabad and Jamui just lately, the ADG stated.

“It’s a serious offence and such digital lending, gaming and gambling apps must be banned as they pose a threat to financial security of the country. We are keeping a strict vigil on the activities of online lending platforms. People should also remain alert about the activities of such apps. The EOU has been creating awareness among the masses about such apps and requests the public not to take any loans from unregistered or illegal loan apps available on the Internet and Playstore,” he stated.

Explaining the modus operandi, the ADG stated, “These loan apps on pretext of advancing loan also access or hack all information from the customers’ phone. And that might be used by the accused company to perpetrate other financial crimes. Most of the time such apps harass the customer by charging not only a high rate of interest, but by failure to repay the same, harass them by sending obscene materials to their contact list.”

The ministry of data and broadcasting (MIB) has already issued an advisory stating that since betting and playing are unlawful in most elements of the nation, commercials of those betting platforms, in addition to their surrogates, are additionally unlawful beneath the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act 2019, Cable TV Network Regulation Act 1995 and the IT Rules, 2021.

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