Hyderabad

The LB Nagar SOT and Chaitanyapuri police teamed up and busted an illegal betting racket on April 14, booking three individuals in the process. During the raid, the police seized Rs 20 lakh cash and froze another Rs 1.42 crore in several bank accounts.

The three persons arrested were identified as Edukulla Jagadeesh, Jakkireddy Ashok Reddy, and Vodupu Charan. According to Police Commissioner of Rachakonda, DS Chauhan, Charan was also acting as a collection agent.

All three were arrested from a boutique on road number 9 of Vasavi Colony based on a tip-off. Three others named Palasa Srinivas Rao, Suresh Myalabathula alias Shiva, and Vipul Monga are still on the loose according to the police.

“Jagadeesh is a sub-bookie who is addicted to betting and earns money by organising cricket betting in Hyderabad. Ashok Reddy stated that in the last 10-12 years, he had lost about ₹100 crore in various bettings. The trio had been running the racket through ‘National exchange9’ from which they create user IDs and supply the same along with passwords to their clients. During the IPL 2023 season, so far, approximately ₹3 crore had been exchanged both directly and through banks, from these three accused,” the commissioner said as quoted by The Hindu.

Nuapada, Odisha

On April 12, Jonk police raided a gambling establishment on Khariar Road and arrested five people for betting on IPL matches.

The IPL betting ring was allegedly operating out of a home behind the Ram Temple on Khariar Road, according to Nuapada SP Gundala Reddy Raghavendra, who said that they received the tip-off during night patrols.

Following the lead, a team conducted the raid and arrested five people from the Chhattisgarh regions of Raipur, Bemetara, and Rajnandgaon. The police seized 21 mobile phones, four computers, 15 ATM cards, 10 cheque books, five bank passbooks, and four laptops during the raid, as reported by The New Indian Express.

The SP added that the defendants were operating the ring through two internet websites and all the transactions were being done online. The police are still looking for the mastermind of this gang.

Pune

A group of five bookies was arrested by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Crime Branch Unit on April 11 for betting on the IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians.

Following the tip-off about the illegal activity that was being conducted over the phone, the police conducted a raid on a residence in the Metropolitan Society on Chinchwad-Link Road and arrested five individuals.

The accused were identified as Govind Prabhudas Lalwani, Kanhaiyalal Sugunumal Harjani, Devanand Prataprai Darayani, Ramesh Dayaram Mirani, and Haresh Hanumant Thatai.

The suspects were found to have placed bets on the aforementioned IPL match. Two computers, mobile phones, and other items worth Rs 85,000 were seized from the site by the police. All the individuals were charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Gambling Act as reported by Punekar News.