New Delhi, March 22 -- GST intelligence officers have blocked 357 websites of illegal offshore online gaming firms and attached about 2,400 bank accounts, the Finance Ministry said on Saturday.

The ministry also cautioned the public against engaging with offshore gaming platforms, even though many Bollywood celebrities and cricketers, besides social media influencers, are found to be endorsing these platforms.

About 700 offshore e-gaming companies are under the Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI) scanner, as these entities are evading GST by failing to register, concealing taxable pay-ins, and bypassing tax obligations.

Investigations also revealed that these offshore companies operated through 'mule' bank...