‘IPL match betting taking place under Mumbai police protection’: Shiv Sena UBT's leader's big claim

The Sena UBT leader claimed that he will submit a pendrive, containing details of conversations and betting operations, to the council chairman.

Published on: Mar 25, 2025, 13:20:37 IST

By HT News Desk

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Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator and Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra legislative council Ambadas Danve on Tuesday claimed that some individuals are involved in betting on Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches, that too under the purview of Mumbai police.

The 2025 Indian Premier League began with a match in Kolkata's Eden Garden on Saturday, March 22. (Reuters)

Speaking in the Upper House, Danve told the council chairman that he would submit a pen drive containing proof details of several conversations and betting operations, a news agency PTI report said.

The Indian Premier League cricket tournament, which features 10 teams and 74 matches, kickstarted on Saturday, March 22.

"I have a pen drive that contains phone call details of an application called 'Lotus 24' used for betting on cricket matches. Mehul Jain, Kamlesh Jain, and Hiren Jain have connections with Pakistani cricket players. It also involves senior police officers of the Mumbai police. The betting activities are taking place under the protection of Mumbai police," Danve claimed.

The Mumbai Police has not yet issued a statement in this regard.

Concerns over rising crimes

Citing records from the state police department, the Sena UBT leader raised concerns over the crime statistics and claimed that as many as 7,82,960 incidents had been reported in 2024. He also alleged that the NDA-led Maharashtra government intentionally withheld crime reports for the last to last two years, i,e., 2022-23 and 2023-24.

"Last year, the state reported 7,982 rapes and 16,200 cases of molestation. This year, we are seeing 22 rapes and 45 molestation cases daily. Why has this behavior become so rampant?" Danve asked.

Further, the leader from Uddhav Thackeray's faction claimed that crime had increased in the state because the government was not determined towards the prosecution of offenders.

He noted that prisons were overcrowded, claiming that the state's jails were holding more than their designated capacity. In place of 27,000 prisoners, he alleged, state prisons were holding 43,000.

Additionally, Danve said that Maharashtra had recorded financial frauds worth ₹51,000 crore last year, asking the state government as to what measures it is taking to prevent this.

(with PTI inputs)

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HT News Desk
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