With the Indian Premier League (IPL) in progress, miscreants involved in betting on cricket matches are back in business.
On Thursday, the anti-smuggling wing arrested four men for accepting bets on the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians from a house in Rup Nagar of Basant City.
The accused have been identified as Kapil Kumar of Dugri, Sanjiv Kumar of Dashmesh Nagar, Mohit Jaiswal of Star Colony and Manjot Singh of Dashmesh Nagar. Ten mobile phones, one LCD, a laptop and wi-fi dongle have been recovered from their possession.
A case has been registered under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 120-B of Indian Penal Code and Sections 13 A, 3, 67 of Gambling Act at Sadar police station.
During investigation, it was found that the accused procured mobile phone connections using fake identities.
Police said that those involved in betting have a secure network of bookies and accept bets only within their circle. The day after the match, they collect and distribute payment as per the result.
They added that betting rackets are being run from rented accommodations, hotel rooms and farm houses, and those involved are using mobile phones procured using fake identity to avoid being traced.
{{/usCountry}}They added that betting rackets are being run from rented accommodations, hotel rooms and farm houses, and those involved are using mobile phones procured using fake identity to avoid being traced.
{{/usCountry}}Not only international cricket matches and IPL, bets are also being accepted on regional leagues and tournaments including Tamil Nadu Premier League.
Ludhiana police chief Rakesh Agrawal said special teams have been formed to bust these rackets and they have also activated their informants’ network. He added that routine checks are also being conducted at farm houses and hotel rooms.