The Maharashtra Cyber Police have arrested Abhishek Pratap Singh, the Security Director at Dream11, on allegations of hacking and attempting to extort money from the online betting company.
Singh, who worked for Sports Technology Pvt. Ltd., known as Dream11, is accused of accessing and threatening to release sensitive company data. On August 11, Singh allegedly sent a threatening email to several top executives, including CEO Harsh Jain, warning them that crucial data, including 1200 repositories, was compromised. The email included 61 files with significant data that could have severely disrupted Dream11’s operations.
The Vice President of IT responded promptly, seeking to negotiate. However, Singh’s follow-up email on August 12 proposed selling the stolen data, highlighting the seriousness of the threat.
An employee, Jamshid Bhopati, reported the incident to the Maharashtra cyber cell, which then initiated an investigation. Using call data records, police traced Singh to his residence in Bengaluru, Karnataka, and arrested him.
During the investigation, police seized Singh’s laptop and mobile phone. Singh was brought before the Esplanade court, where he was remanded in police custody until August 26. Authorities are now examining how Singh gained access to the company’s source code and passwords and whether the stolen data was leaked on dark web sites.
Singh faces charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act of 2000, including extortion and criminal intimidation. The case underscores the growing concern over cybersecurity in major companies.