A covert investigation by Indian Naval Intelligence Unit (NIU) has unearthed a startling nexus between certain serving Indian armed forces personnel and a Dubai-based illegal betting syndicate. The findings have raised red flags over potential breaches of national security and illegal cross-border financial activity.
According to high-level sources within the Directorate of Naval Intelligence (DNI) Anil Tholia, a petty officer posted at a naval base in chennai was allegedly working for Sravan Bhalotia, a notorious betting kingpin currently operating from Dubai. Bhalotia is said to be the mastermind behind the All Panel Exchange, a major illegal betting platform that hosts several betting apps under one umbrella.
Anil Tholia is alleged to have operated three betting IDs on the exchange including two for personal use and one on behalf of his brother Pankaj Tholia, a serving Indian Army soldier stationed at the Deolali artillery unit. Investigative findings indicate that the duo systematically recruited fellow naval sailors, junior officers, and even Army personnel into the syndicate on a commission basis, acting on the instructions of betting kingpin Sravan Bhalotia.
The recruits worked on a commission basis for the betting panel, through which various punters placed bets on the All Panel Exchange. As the volume of bets increased through these betting middlemen, the Tholia brothers reportedly earned lakhs of rupees every month in commissions and handling fees.
“Those working on a commission basis were not just ordinary participants. During the investigation, it was revealed that certain armed forces and naval personnel who incurred losses in betting became commission-based agents to recoup their debts,” said a senior official familiar with the investigation. “These agents actively recruited new gamblers to recover owed amounts and earn steady commissions. They acted as betting panel operators, facilitated wagers, and routed illicit funds across networks, thereby expanding the reach of the underground digital economy.” the officer added.
Sources say there is credible suspicion that some of the games were remotely manipulated by foreign handlers, suggesting possible international interference and data exfiltration risks.
The investigation revealed that the financial transactions related to the betting operations of All Panel Exchange were largely routed through Anil Tholia’s wife Manila Tholia, who is currently under close investigation. Investigators believe she played a pivotal role in laundering the syndicate’s proceeds. She allegedly managed multiple UPI IDs, digital wallets, and bank accounts, many registered under aliases or shell entities. Her responsibilities reportedly included collecting betting proceeds from participants, disbursing winnings or advances to syndicate members, transferring large sums across states and even international borders via hawala channels, maintaining transaction records, and coordinating with external handlers. Forensic audits of bank statements and phone records linked to Anil and Manila Tholia revealed frequent high-value transactions inconsistent with her declared sources of income.
In a brazen attempt to destroy digital evidence, Manila reportedly flushed two SIM cards linked to fake identities down the toilet, wiped WhatsApp chat backups and phone data including automatic chat history backups and physically destroyed a mobile phone and a laptop shortly after her husband’s detention. During the search operation, authorities also recovered 13 grams of cannabis from their premises.
The probe further exposed a sophisticated money trail linking Pankaj Tholia, brother of Anil Tholia and an active Indian Army artilleryman stationed at the strategically vital Deolali Army Camp to the core operations of the illegal betting syndicate. Alongside fellow serviceman Vivek Upadhyay, Pankaj systematically recruited numerous individuals on a commission basis, aggressively expanding the underground betting network within the Deolali training camp. Deolali, one of India’s oldest and most critical military installations in Nashik, houses key artillery units and functions as a premier training hub for defense personnel.
During the investigation,Naval Intelligence uncovered substantial financial transactions between Pankaj and his sister-in-law Manila with the former transferring large sums directly into the latter's accounts. Notably, investigators identified a Rs40,000 commission transfer from Pankaj to Manila, followed within days by a Rs1 lakh deposit, exposing the flow of illicit betting commissions within the family’s financial network.
According to highly placed sources, the Tholia brothers along with Manila, maintained a direct operational link with Sravan Bhalotia, the Dubai-based kingpin behind the notorious All Panel Exchange betting syndicate. They allegedly received a 6–7% commission on the total volume of bets placed through their assigned IDs. Once their cut was secured, the remaining proceeds were systematically funneled through hawala channels and other illicit financial networks revealing a well-oiled laundering mechanism designed to obscure the origins and beneficiaries of massive betting revenues.
During interrogation, Anil Tholia reportedly confessed to being involved in betting since the age of 12 and admitted to involving several individuals from his native village in Kerala and his colleagues at naval facilities. However, he denied any direct link to foreign intelligence or the compromise of classified military information.
Despite this denial, senior officials remain cautious. “We’re still probing possible data leaks,” said a Naval intelligence source. “When active-duty personnel are knowingly operating under the influence of foreign-run syndicates, we cannot ignore the espionage threat.”
The investigation continues, with multiple central agencies now assessing whether the betting syndicate served as a front for deeper intelligence operations targeting India’s military ecosystem.
