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Cricket betting racket busted with recovery of 177 phones
New Delhi:
New Delhi:
A cricket betting racket has been busted in east Delhi’s Jagatpuri, police said on Wednesday. Two men have been arrested and 167 mobile phones recovered from them.
Amit Sharma, deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara), identified the arrested men as Avnit Thapar and Manoj.
The officer said the betters were spread across the National Capital Region and beyond. “We are making efforts to identify them,” said Sharma.
The officer said the racket was busted after the police received a tip-off while collecting intelligence about street criminals. “We were told Thapar did not have a source of livelihood but was living an affluent life,” said the officer.
On Tuesday, the police raided a building in Jitar Nagar neighbourhood in Jagatpuri and allegedly found a set-up where 166 mobile phones were arranged in four suitcases.
The police arrested Thapar and recovered one more mobile phone and 67 SIM cards.
“The mobile phones were used for receiving the bets. Each phone had a unique code and power back-up to prevent interruption during the betting,” said the officer.
The DCP said all 166 mobile phones were basic phones. “The racketeers wanted to ensure the phones did not leave behind any traceable technical footprint. For this purpose, the phones only had incoming facility and no call could be made using them,” said the officer.
Thapar’s interrogation led police to his alleged associate, identified by his first name, Manoj. “Manoj would maintain the complex betting system and would charge R3,000 as monthly rent for each of the phones,” said another investigator.
